The Truth in Our Eyes
by Shuricant
Summary: Sarada Uchiha, one of the two only elves left on the planet, is currently in hiding. She goes by a different name and keeps her sharp ears hidden. Every four years the Uzumakis, the royal family of Konoha, host a ball and invite all the noble families and lords in Konoha. Sarada had to attend every time, but this year, things are going to change, 19/20 year old Borusara. InoHima.
1. Prologue

My name is Sarada Uchiha. Not that anyone knows that. I go by the name Izumi Haruno now. Why? Because I'm an Uchiha, and Uchiha's are supposed to be dead. Except one of course. My father, Sasuke Uchiha, one of the strongest beings in the world, is being hunted down. Now there's a very important reason why he's constantly being tracked down. He's an elf.

Ultimately, I too am an elf. An elf in hiding that is. My mother is a human though, so I guess I'm half elf. Doesn't make a difference to me. I still have elvish blood inside me, and the visual prowess of an elf.

My parents decided that I was not going to be exposed to this world as Sarada Uchiha. They were going to mask my true identity, and name me with my mothers last name, Haruno along with a random name, which I still don't know why they picked.

I've lived my entire life under a curse. Well, two curses, a literal one and a figurative one. Apart from being cursed with the Uchiha bloodline, I've also been given a curse to transform by pointy ears into regular ones. The only problem is if I ever fall in love, the curse will break. I guess I'm single for eternity.

Still, I get a chance to live my life like regular humans even if I'm in secret hiding and have a curse upon me.

Well too bad. I guess I'll have to suck it up and move on.

Yo! Decided to start my next fanfiction! I'll be alternating updates between the two fan fictions too. So don't worry about the other one, I'm continuing it until the end. I'm really excited about this one. I've been planning the plot for months now, and I'm so hyped to share it with y'all. Please review and tell what you think!

I hope you guys enjoy the story! See ya around!


	2. Friends Reconcile

Sarada paced around her room, occasionally glancing at the old woman who was packing up her clothing, which was mostly dresses and tunics.

"Please, can I just pack my clothes myse-,"

"There's no need." The old woman interrupted Sarada, causing her to frown. Why couldn't she do anything herself in this household. She walked towards the balcony of her room and surveyed the clear fields and endless forests.

"Um, why are you packing my clothes again." Sarada asked awkwardly, still unsure what was going on. Yeah, she was offering to pack herself when she didn't even know why.

"Your mothers orders. She didn't say why."

"I see." Sarada deadpanned, expecting nothing less from her mother. She just wanted Sarada to come and ask herself, not that she had a problem with that but, really?

Sarada exited her bedroom and began strolling through the stone halls of the Haruno Compound. It was an enormous stone castle, located in the outskirts of Konoha. Sarada's footsteps echoed around the mighty grey halls as she approached the main room. She threw open the doors and found her mother seated on a throne, encrusted with emeralds and silver. Beside the throne, was Sarada's smaller version of a throne on the right. On the left, were two larger thrones that belonged to Sakura's parents, Lord Haruno and Lady Haruno. All three were engaged in a conversation regarding the estate before Sarada barged in.

Sarada bowed politely, lifting her dress from the edges, in a swift courtesy to the Lord and Lady, then towards her mother. Straightening her back, Sarada approaches her mother's thrones.

"Sorry to intervene, mother. I have a question." Sarada could feel the soft, loving eyes of her grandparents, digging into her soul. She instinctively straightened her back even further if it was even possible at this point.

"Yes, Izumi. I'm listening." Sakura's voice was sweet and kind, and made you feel comfortable and at rest. Sarada always found comfort in her mother's voice. Except for the times when she uses that voice to call her Izumi. Sarada was all too used to fake name given to her as a mask. She was being called that all her life and treated it a bit like a nickname, or a second name. However, it was not going to change the fact that she didn't like the mask. She liked her real name and would always prefer her mother to say that. But in front of her grandparents? They don't even know Sarada's real name.

"Why are my clothes being packed? I don't recall any scheduled trips in my calendar."

Sakura smiled broadly and chuckled. "How could you forget? Don't you remember the Uzumaki Ball that's hosted every four years?"

Sarada's eyes widened. Of course! What else could it be? The Haruno's were always invited to the ball as they were close friends to the King, Naruto Uzumaki. Legend has it that Sakura Haruno once fought side by side with Naruto during the Great War. Sarada had heard from a servant that they were like best friends too.

"Oh yes. I completely forgot. Why is she packing my entire closet though? Don't we normally stay for just a week? Or are we stopping somewhere after the ball?" Sarada inquired, very confused about the packing situation.

"We'll be staying at Uzumaki Castle for three months. I have many conferences and meetings to attend with the King and a few other nobles, so the overall process might take a while longer than normal. I hope you're okay with that,

Sarada internally got hit by a thousand arrows right in her heart. Why was this happening. Sure, the ball was always fun, but a certain boy always got involved with her arrival. Sometimes he was fun to be around, but he was mostly an annoying brat. Sarada shook off the thought and nodded towards her mother.

"I see. When are we going to depart?" Sarada asked looking towards the early morning sun. It was around 7 A.M.

"In a few hours, dear. I'm sorry for letting you know on such short notice. I was busy wrapping things up with the medical factions."

Sarada stared at her mother in shock. "A few hours? Okay. Sure. I can work with that."

Sarada didn't really have many friends at the castle anyway. No one to really say goodbye to other than her nana, and her grandparents. Getting out of the castle was always an experience, but she preferred staying within the walls. It was always a fear that someone would discover her secret, that she would get killed, or humiliated. Actually humiliation wouldn't be so bad. Better than death.

Sarada strolled back into her room. Her nana was almost done by now, having all of her gowns and tunics and pants pressed neatly into a large chest.

"Thank you, nana." Sarada smiles softly at the old lady. She was always there for Sarada, especially when her mother wasn't able to tend to her due to work at the medical faction of Konoha. She was kind of like a second mother.

"No problem dear. Well you better get ready. You can't go wearing a tunic and pants again. I know it's comfortable but you need proper attire for this occasion."

Sarada looked down at her turquoise tunic and deep brown pants. She looked back at her nana with pleading eyes, but received a stern no. Sarada sighed and trudged to the bathroom. When she came out of the shower, her nana had left a beautiful gown out on her bed. It was constructed simply, with only folds and layers of dull red and light grey, over lapping from the waist down. The torso was plain dull red, with silver embroidery crowning the high neck of the dress. The sleeves were made of white net, and fell down to her elbows. It was a stunning dress that was stitched by the most prestigious of tailors.

Sarada quickly dressed up and did up her hair, before exiting the castle. She made sure that two strands of hair sobered her ears. Even if she had a spell on that made her elfin ears look normal, she always took extra precautions.

Her mother was waiting inside the carriage outside by the courtyard. Sarada sat parallel to her mother and as soon as the carriage began moving, a conversation started up between them. Sarada loved her mother's company dearly. It was always a joy to talk to her, whenever she could that is. The only downfall was when Sakura brought up marriage. They both knew it was never going to happen, and that saddened Sakura, which is why she resorted to teasing Sarada.

"Oh Sarada, you'll need to be wary of the boys again. They were falling all over you last time." They both laughed at Sakura's comment.

"Well I'm nineteen now so I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself." Sarada said, closing off the joke. Sakura's face suddenly darkened.

"Wow. Nineteen already. I can't believe how fast you've grown up."

Sarada smiles at her mom. "It's ok mama. I'll always be with you anyway."

Sakura nodded and tried not to start crying. Sarada looked just like Sasuke, and it always broke her heart when she remembered that he was far from them. She always prayed that he was safe, that he was alive.

"Mama?" Sarada said, breaking her mother's train of thoughts.

"Oh sorry! Got lost in thought hahaha." Sakura laughed nervously, earning a giggle from her daughter.

"Must be nice. Falling in love, that is." Sarada said softly, staring out the window.

"Oh Sarada. You know you can't. Oh it pains me to say that, I really wish you could get married off and start a famil-,"

"Mama!"

"Oh! Hehe, sorry Sarada." Sarada laughed and nodded.

.

After much traveling and talking, they reached the town, Sakura's favorite part of Konoha. It was bustling all day and was filled with glorious dresses and make up and food and everything that a girl could dream of. Sarada had to hold her mother down as they passed through the rows of shops so she wouldn't jump out the vehicle and go on a spree.

The sun was setting, and they could see the two towers at the opposite ends of the castle. Sarada yawned and stretched out for the seventh time in the past five minutes. Sakura sighed and stretched out as well, might as well get comfortable. They took a stop earlier on and bought something to eat, because their temptations were stronger than resistance.

.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped, jerking Sarada awake. She looked around confused, had they already reached the castle? Sarada froze when she saw her mother's expression. It was dead serious and alarmed as hell. She had even pulled out the dagger, hidden in her dress.

Sarada narrowed her eyes and kept quiet. They listened hard until they heard the driver whimper and beg not to be killed. A thief probably. Sakura looked at her daughter who nodded in reply. They had already discussed a strategy for this kind of incident. It was common that nobles would run into trouble like this.

Sakura snuck out of the carriage and quickly ran to the front, where she saw the bandit holding a knife to the driver's throat. Before he could properly demand for Sakura's riches she had already tossed the dagger with expert precision towards the bandit. He ducked back, merely dodging the blade, causing him to let go of the driver, and out from the other side of the carriage, Sarada emerged with her fist readied. She slammed it right into his guts and uppercutted him into the jaw with her other fist. The man coughed up blood and rolled back. Sakura ran and quickly collected her dagger before standing beside the out-cold bandit. Sarada hastily retrieved some rope and tied up his hands.

"Good job Sarada! that was quite a close one, eh?"

"Mama, I'm tired let me sleep." Sarada moaned, trudging back into the carriage

Sakura sweat-dropped and sighed. Sarada was too used to these kinds of things. They would happen all the time during their travels.

.

"Sarada! Wake up!"

Sarada jolted up and found her mother, glaring, arms crossed. Her stern look quickly morphed into a smile.

"We made it."

Sarada's face lit up. About damn time. It was a day's trip but it was still tiring. The moon was up high by the time they arrived. Thankfully the guards recognized them and let them in through the gates without an interrogation.

Sarada and her mother stepped out the carriage to be greeted by a young, ecstatic girl.

"Welcome! Lady Sakura and Lady Izumi! I'm so happy you guys made it safely!"

It was Princess Himawari, the youngest child of the King and the sister to the heir of the throne.

"Thank you! It's glad to see you too, young one. Although I wouldn't exactly say we made it safely." Sakura beamed, happy to see the cute Uzumaki Princess.

Sarada smiled and told the tale as Himawari walked them to the main hall.

.

Crystal blue eyes gazed down as the Uchiha entered the castle. He'd been patiently waiting for this day to arrive. The day when all the nobles would come together for a ball at the King's Palace. All his friends who he only saw on this day would be arriving and isn't that just the best thing?

Boruto smirked as his little sister hopped around them and brought them inside. Boruto stood up straight on the rim of the great stone walls of the castle and made his way back to the tower he escaped from.

.

"So Izumi! What color is your dress going to be?" Himawari asked. Again with the name.

"Haha I don't really remember." Sarada replies nervously, scratching the back of her head.

"Izumi! Are you serious!?" Himawari looked shocked.

"Haha maybe. I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

Himawari pouted and nudged Sarada in the shoulder. Sarada bumped her back and they both laughed.

Himawari threw open the large doors that exposed them to the royal dining room. The room was enormous, and reached up for about 75 feet. It was beautiful to look at with the gold encrusted decor and the simple mahogany furniture. The walls had a legendary tale painted across from one end of the room to the other. Sarada gawked at the walls before remembering she wasn't the only person in her room. On the end of the utterly long dining table was the king himself, and by him the beautiful queen. Hinata stood up at the sight of Sakura, and Naruto followed. They would always put aside their rank as royalty to greet good friends.

"Sakura! Izumi! I'm so glad you guys made it!" Hinata exclaimed walking over to the two am oh my god she was so damn beautiful. She was wearing a delicate silk gown, that had shades of purple and white, crossing over each other across her whole body. It was topped off with silver embroidery and a slight peppering of crystals. Her dark hair was put up with crystal pins and it flowed down to her mid back. The entire outfit complemented her pale eyes and fair skin. Sakura too looked beautiful in her pink gown but it was nothing compared to Hinata's attire. She enveloped Sakura in a warm hug and they exchanged greetings happily.

Sarada almost couldn't believe that a woman could be so beautiful. She stared at the two as they reconciled after the four year period they had been separated. Naruto warmly shook Sarada's hand and gave her bright smile that exuded a sunny presence, much like his son, who was no where to be seen. Sarada quickly hugged Hinata, Sakura and Naruto shook hands and shot each other devilish smiles. Their friendship was too powerful to let polite courtesies be their method of greeting. Soon after the reconciliation, everyone was seated comfortably and chatting away as food was served.

"If I can recall, you had a son, my King?"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Oh yeah haha, Boruto? He should be around. The kid is always late ya know hahaha."

"Sounds familiar."

The three chatted on while Sarada ate in silence. She was seated by her mother's side and sat parallel to Himawari who chatted on endlessly about her encounters with boys. She wasn't annoying though, and her stories were pretty damn interesting. Sarada listened and nodded along as the story about how she started finding long hair on boys attractive, proceeded.

Sarada laughed at a joke she cracked and her eyes landed on one of the long windows behind the table. It was slightly cracked open from the bottom. All of a sudden two hands slipped the crack and pulled the panes up. Saradas face contorted in confusion as she watched the scene unfold. Himawari was too busy spilling out her tales to notice Sarada's averted attention.

Sarada spoke, "What the he-,"

"Yo! Sorry I'm late." A blonde head emerged from the window's frame and then the rest of him stepped through the window. He quickly shut the window and hopped on the polished tiles, walking towards the guest.

"Hello, Lady Sakura. How are you doing?" He asked politely bowing quickly and smiling brightly at her.

"I'm well. Good to see you again."

"Likewise. And hello to you too, Lady Izumi." He smirked slightly and bowed again, using a slight tint of drama in his movements.

Sarada stuttered, not because she like him, but because of his shameless confidence to enter the room through a window and ignore his father's horrified expression that followed him as we moved.

"H-hello, your highness." She said with slight distaste. She had almost forgotten how much he hated it when she called him that, and was pleased to see him frown. He made his way to his seat by Himawari and sat down. Naruto cleared his throat, catching Boruto's attention, who merely looked at his dad with disinterest.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." He grunted, earning a sympathetic pat on his arm from Hinata. A minute later the conversation between adults resumed and Sarada began eating silently again. Himawari excused herself saying she needed her beauty sleep for the party tomorrow.

Sarada was zoned out, staring off into the window, thinking about what Boruto was doing out there when the dining room was on the third floor. What kind prince would perform such an outrageous act.

She glanced at Boruto and quickly averted her eyes when she found him looking at her through hooded eyes. He smiled at her, and it wasn't like his usual stupid smirk that he would put on around her, it was a sincere smile. It made Sarada realize how much they'd grown up. He looked away and towards his father, and that's when his face morphed into a harsh expression. Something Sarada had never seen on his face before.

.

Sarada collapsed on her bed and sighed in relief. The ball began tomorrow at 8 pm, so at least she could sleep in for a bit. She gazed out of the window and towards the Prince's tower. Memories began flooding her mind about the previous visits she paid to the Uzumakis.

.

 _Sarada was only three at the time she first visited the Uzumaki Castle. She was still being carried around by her mom at the time too. She remembered walking through the big stone entrance and being greeted warmly by the king and queen. Then a little blonde boy with whiskers stepped out from between their legs. He was about her age, just a year older actually. The boy smiled at her and held out his hand for a shake. Sarada reached out and shook his hand gently all the while looking at her mother for confirmation._

 _"Hi! I'm Boruto."_

 _"Mama! The cat boy can talk!" Sarada exclaimed, her cheeks pink and plump. The adults laughed and Boruto scowled._

 _"I'm not a cat boy! I'm a normal boy!" Boruto sneered, releasing her hand and pouting. Sarada giggled and smiled brightly at the boy._

 _"I'm Izumi!"_

 _._

 _The next time they met, Sarada was seven, and Boruto was only eight. It was also the first time he saw her little sister, Himwari. Sarada was also old enough to begin noticing how annoying Boruto was. He was lax and was always looking for some trouble or a chance to play pranks._

 _"Don't you ever get tired of playing the same old pranks on your dad? You should have more respect." Sarada said as she followed Boruto through the hidden, underground channels of the castle. She claimed to follow Boruto to keep an eye on him but truly she just wanted to be around him. The young prince was funny, and always knew what to do to make a boring day, fun. Sarada didn't want to spend the week being bored out of her mind, so she either played with Himawari or got involved with Boruto's dangerous acts._

 _"Oh shut up! He deserves this for being too busy for his own son!"_

 _"Yeah, but putting a dead lizard in his wine glass isn't going to help."_

 _"Shut up!"_

 _"Stop saying 'shut up!'"_

 _"Then don't follow me if you're going to pester me!" Pester, a new word he learned when he took a prank too far on his father. He would rather focus on the vocabulary than the lecture about being sophisticated._

 _"Tch." Sarada stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms._

 _Boruto noticed the pattering sound of two children walking die down to one. He turned and saw Sarada, arms crossed and a scowl on. He felt terribly guilty for what he said all of a sudden._

 _"Ay, I'm sorry about what I said." Boruto apologized, holding out his hand again. Sarada looked at his hand and her face softened._

 _"Did you touch the lizard with this hand?"_

 _"No. It's here." He lifted his left hand and waved the dead salamander which was dangling from its tail._

 _Sarada smiled and held his hand._

 _._

 _"Hey! What are you reading?" The blonde stood behind the brunette and tried to read her book from the back. He was taking rounds in the castle before he found her in the library and decided to entertain himself a little._

 _"None of your business, boruto. Go bother someone else."_

 _Boruto smirked and snatched the book out of her hand. "Oooh is this a romance novel? You're only eleven, you shouldn't be reading this ya know?" He inspected the paragraph she was reading and blushed_

 _"Hey! Give that back! It's not romance, it's mystery! There's always a kiss scene in mystery books now give it back!" She lunged at him and tackled him to the ground. Boruto knew better than to fight a girl, so he tossed the book to a nearby sofa and struggled free from her grasp._

 _"Okay okay! Have your 'mystery' book! God!" Boruto dramatically sang, smirking at her flustered face._

 _Sarada crawled back to her book and struggled to find the page she was on earlier._

 _"Hey Izumi! Do you wanna help me prank my dad again?" He said holding out his hand._

 _Sarada smirked mischievously, before quickly correcting her face, and sophisticatedly placing her pale hand in his._

 _"Sure."_

 _._

 _"SHH!"_

 _"You 'SHH!'" Boruto hissed back. Sixteen and still at it with the pranks. Boruto and Sarada were tired of being left out of royal meetings. Even Shikadai was allowed as the tactical strategist of the team._

 _The two were currently hiding in the store room of the King's advisory quarters. Their bodies were almost pressed up together and they couldn't help but silently yell at each other at every little contact between their heated bodies._

 _"If you keep shushing me, I wont be able to hear them!" Sarada hissed, before slipping on the edge of her dress. Now it was either let her fall on him and they both crash to ground, giving away their position or Boruto could be the courteous man he was raised to be and catch her. Obviously the latter._

 _His arm hooked around waist and pulled her up to his chest while his other hand automatically blocked her mouth to muffle her yelp. She felt his lips press against her ear but it was all unintentional so she could save the punching for later._

 _Despite being one year apart, Boruto was a full three inches taller than Sarada, and it bugged her to hell. She could feel his hot breaths skitter across her neck and she wasn't even sure how to feel about it. Normally you would assume she had a crush on him, but truth be told she had no interest in him romantically. Somehow throughout the years, her relationship with him was established as 'partner in crime'._

 _Sarada inched her arm away from his grip causing boruto to pull her closer against him._

 _"Shh! It's almost over." He said against her ear. Either he was doing that intentionally or he was stupid and oblivious because it was getting too far now. His arm was circling further and she felt herself relaxing into him. Soon the hand that was on her lips had traveled down and was resting on the crook of her neck. She could feel his heartbeat pounding through his chest against her back._

 _Finally, the sounds of chairs sliding over marble floors and footsteps filled the room and when they were absolutely sure that everyone was out of the room, they stumbled out of the dark confines of the tiny room._

 _"Boruto! Why did you do that!"_

 _"It was either 'that' or we both fall and get caught! I was just being practical!" He shouted back, rolling his eyes._

 _"No! I'm talking about when you...," Sarada wasn't able to bring herself to say 'whispered in my ear like that' to complete the sentence and trailed off. "Never mind. Thanks."_

 _"I should be thanking you for helping me get in there without getting caught." He said, giving her a quick and courteous bow before sliding open the window and jumping out. Sarada sighed and took tiring steps back to her room._

 _._

 _YO! Omg I'm so excited for this Fanfiction! Please vote and comment BECAUSE IT REALLY HELPS MEEE! Also I love reading comments you guys don't even know what it feels like to receive one it's so AWESOME ANSBJABEHKAKSBEIEBGAJA THANK YOU!_


	3. Red wine and Concern

Sarada stared at her reflection in the mirror and tugged her dress in a few places, making sure it looked perfect. She smiled at herself and noticed a bit of her ears showing. She bit her lip and pinned a strand of hair back into place with precision, giving herself a complacent nod once she confirmed its permanence.

"Sarada!"

Her mother's voice was muffled through the thick wood of her door. Sarada quickly patted herself out and exhaled a deep breath.

"Coming." She called back, rushing outside to the halls. Her mother walked with her until they reached the ball room before they parted ways, her mother trusting her to be safe. Sarada made her way to the alcohol stands, hoping to get a drink or two before anyone started proposing like they always did at formals. A few steps away before a dark skinned, slightly overweight female blocked her view. Sarada smirked.

"Long time no see, ChouChou."

The girl smirked back and popped a tart in her mouth.

"I was just about to say the same thing, Izumi."

Sarada giggled and the two best friends united after their last four year meeting. ChouChou Akimichi was the one friend Sarada could actually feel comfortable around. She was laid back, didn't care about boys, and had an intense passion for food. Something you rarely see in a princess.

ChouChou did have a knack for teasing Sarada though, especially about Boruto. She practically considered them a married couple who established a long distance relationship, which of course enraged Sarada.

Sarada and ChouChou both grabbed a glass of wine and leaned against the wall, chatting away. Not even five minutes later, Boruto was in their conversation again.

"Sarada, look over there. It's your Boruto."

Sarada scowled and her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "He's not 'my' Boruto."

ChouChou gasped and shook Sarada. "He's looking at you!"

Saradas Head whipped in his direction and she saw his eyes on her. He looked decent for once, a neat, black tunic with a touch of pink embroidery at the edges of the collar, black pants and oak leather boats. Much more presentable than the usual, crumpled attire. His eyes lingered upon hers, slowly raking down her body before the Nara prince intervened and began a conversation with Boruto. Sarada's face burned with anger. What the hell was he doing looking at her like that.

"I saw the way he looked at you." ChouChou cooed, smirking at the red on Saradas face.

"Tch. He was probably eyeing some other girl behind me or something." She mumbled to herself as she watched him kindly converse with everyone who approached him for a conversation. He was so smooth and fluent, going from one person to the next without hesitation. He would bow slightly, shake a hand or kiss one, and talk. Since when was he so polite? Sarada was snapped back into reality when her mother's face corrupted her train of thoughts.

"Sarada." She stated sternly.

Sarada yelped and straightened up.

Sakura smiled and stepped to the right to let a man stand by her side. "I would like you to meet Lord Itsuki."

The young man was around her age, and had stunning features. And by stunning, she meant unique. Like literally, his ultra glossy hair was pulled back until it looked like a shiny, black cap and his cheekbones were higher than the King's status. Itsuki smiles and bowed low.

"Good greetings, Lady Izumi." His voice was croaky and grating, sending chills up Saradas spine. His gaze lingered below her neck and he took a long stare before his eyes flicked back up to hers

"To you as well, Lord Itsuki." Sarada replied, slightly weirded out.

Sakura cleared her throat. "He's an apprentice of Shizune's, working at the Medical Division of Konoha. I thought you two might get along, I'll be off now." Sakura hastily ended her sentence, speed walking away and leaving Sarada with Itsuki.

Sarada glared at her mom. She knew what happened. Shizune introduced Itsuki to her mom and left her to talk with him but her mother eventually got tired and decided to dispose him off to Sarada. Besides, Sakura was always trying to help Sarada connect with more people. But she just had to be a tease and make her connect with him.

It wasn't as bad as long as she had ChouChou to help her. She turned to her only friend and almost choked on her saliva when she saw her plus size friend missing. Her eyes scanned the crowd and she found her talking to a blue haired boy. Sarada internally cursed at ChouChou for abandoning her.

"So, Lady Izumi, does anyone have your hand for the dance tonight." Itsuki drawled, licking his lips and smirking.

Sarada froze for two reasons. Of course, he was hitting on her, he wanted her for the dance and probably for the night. Second, she didn't have anyone's hand. She had to think fast.

"Of course I dooo." She dragged the last word as she scanned the crowd for someone she could ask. She knew Inojin would ask Himawari, the blue haired boy was someone she had never met, Shikadai was always distant, Denki can't dance, Iwabe was no where to be seen and then...Boruto. Delinquent, Prince, running away from duties, outgoing, rude, hilarious but an idiot. Her partner in crime. It'll do. As long as it's fake. Hopefully he hasn't asked anyone.

"Well, who is it, may I ask?" His gruff voice elongated the last word in a purr. Sarada cringed internally and thank heavens the music started playing.

"Oh would you look at that, the music has started! I better go find him! It was nice chatting with you." She curtsies and with that she was off traveling through the crowd of nobility and royals.

"Lady Izumi, Wait!" He exclaimed, chasing after her. Sarada grunted inside. This guy! She weaved through the forming couples and approached Boruto, who was currently talking with Shikadai.

"Boruto." Sarada tugged his sleeve to capture his attention.

Boruto turned to Sarada with curious eyes and a decent smile. A prince like smile. The same smile he would put on in front of guests and other nobles. That smile quickly morphed into a smirk when he took in Saradas form.

"May I help y-,"

"Yes, I really need your help right now. Shikadai?"

Shikadai smiled lazily and nodded, walking off to some guests of Sunagakure.

"Boruto. Normally the guys asks the girl to dance but I don't have time for that, so can you dance with me? Just for the night?" Sarada pleaded, her grip on his sleeve tightening, as she stepped closer.

Boruto's hand snaked around her waist, and his hand linked with hers. Sarada quickly responded by placing her hand upon his chest. (Or is it shoulder? I don't know)

"Anything for you, Lady Izumi."

Sarada sighed in relief and locked eyes with the Prince of Konoha. She flinched at how bright they were, literally glowing in the dim lighting of the ball room.

"Your eyes." She muttered, as Boruto swept her across the room, their movements in perfect sync.

"Huh? What about them?" His voice was soft and low, but loud enough to be heard over the soothing music.

"They are bluer than the King's." Boruto almost tripped over his feet, but he quickly caught himself up and kept Sarada close to his body. His head rose up again with a tint of red around his cheeks.

"T-They are?"

Sarada nodded. "I'm sure of it."

"O-oh." He averted his eyes, desperate to cover up the slight pink dusting upon his cheeks.

They waltzed around the room, lost in conversation for who knows how long before the music temped down and their feet got tired.

"Thank you. For the dance." Sarada said, sliding away from his warm grasp.

Boruto smirked. "Mmm? Your welcome, and by the way, the Izumi I know would never ask me to a dance unless she had a very urgent reason. So be sure to tell me what it is sometime." Boruto waved at her and walked off into the crowd of gossip and bustle.

Sarada's eye twitched. I hate his perception. She began searching for ChouChou, completely forgetting the reason she asked Boruto for a dance in the first place, she bumped into a short form.

Slick black hair and violet eyes found her view and a cold hand encircled her wrist. Sarada almost choked as he smiled at her and stroked her arm. Itsuki probably thought she was a fan of the prince, and just wanted a dance like all the other mistresses in the room. Nothing special. He could take her from here.

"Lady Izumi, please relax. I only want good time with you." He smirked and raised his thin, perfectly arched eyebrows, suggestively.

Sarada gulped and snatched her arm away. "I'm sorry but, I was just going to inform my mother that I'll be staying longer. I have to go back to my...partner for tonight." Sarada couldn't believe she would be paying Boruto another visit.

"The Prince? I had no knowledge that you two were together." Itsuki pressed on the matter and stepped closer.

Sarada instinctively stepped back and smiled apologetically. "It was nice talking with you." She chuckled nervously and quickly turned back to find Boruto. Her mother didn't need to know from Sarada that she was staying late when she already knew.

Crap. Sarada scanned the crowd and searched for the Prince. She could feel eyes burning into the back of her head, and a pair of footsteps mocking her own, following her path. She saw Itsuki's reflection through the many glimmering mirrors that were attached to a noble's dress. Itsuki was going to make sure she wasn't lying.

Blonde, Blue eyes and two whiskers. Sarada turned but found the Heir's younger sister instead, indulging in a conversation with Inojin Yamanaka. He looked slightly flustered and it brought a smile to Saradas face. He was a good friend to Sarada, considering how close their mothers are. She would see him a lot around the Haruno Castle, and she would always chase him around, asking if she could braid his hair. Taking into account that his hair had never been in anything but a ponytail, the outcome of her chases were obvious.

A warm hand seated itself upon Sarada's shoulder, and her eyes met with shocking blue ones. Boruto. Thank god.

"You okay? You look...out of sorts." Boruto asked, his hand retreating to his side as he resumed his princely posture.

Sarada felt a warmth spread through her chest. His concern was always something that amused Sarada even when they were young. Often when they were playing, if she ever got hurt, Boruto would literally transform into her mom, asking if she felt lightheaded or needed medical treatment. The result would be Sarada rolling in laughter, because Borutos transformation from smug to caring was funny, and rolling in tears, because she was still hurt.

 _Sarada giggled endlessly at the Blonde who was red from head to toe._

 _"I don't understand why you're laughing!" He rubbed his face and tried to get her to stay still, currently very stressed about the blood that was seeping through her pants._

 _"It's just...funny."_

 _Boruto rolled his eyes and growled in annoyance. "What is?" He hissed, sliding up towards her so he could work on her wound. The young blonde carefully cut the fabric of her pants from the mid thigh and slid it off. He bit his lip when he saw the blood._

 _"Oh crap. I'm gonna fill a basin with water." He said, disappearing into his bathroom, before returning in like 30 seconds._

 _"Fast." Sarada muttered._

 _"What?" The blonde asked, gently placing the basin down and lifting her leg._

 _Sarada bit her lips to hold in her yelp. "It hurts."_

 _Boruto's eyes widened and he used all the power in his arms to make her leg descend into the water slowly. He began washing the blood off her knee but the bleeding continued on. Boruto bit his lip, panic starting to arise in his eyes._

 _"Boruto. It's fine. You're doing good." She clutched onto the sheets of his bed. Boruto hastily attempted to stop the bleeding._

 _"I'm gonna get some towels! I'll be back in a flash." He said, bolting through the door._

 _Sarada quickly placed her hand on top of the wound and winced as she released a bright green light. The blood stopped, and she sighed in relief, letting her hands fall to her sides._

 _Just then, Boruto burst through the door with towels stuffed in his shirt. "They didn't notice me!" He huffed, racing towards her and pulling the towels out._

 _"That's...surprising." She mused, watching Boruto slow down._

 _"Wait, the bleeding stopped." Boruto's face contorted in confusion as he inspected her cut._

 _"Uh y-yeah! As soon as you ran out the door it stopped, you were doing such a good job." She smiled brightly at the prince and received a red face in return._

 _Boruto wiped away the blood which was crusting around her shin. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled a medical supplies box from under his bed._

 _"Of course you would need that. You're so reckless." Sarada teased, and Boruto scowled._

 _"Or maybe I just have it to heal girls who have cuts on their knees."_

 _"Or to make up for cutting my knee in the first place."_

 _Boruto gulped. He was cornered now. "I know I know. I'm sorry." He slowly pulled out some alcohol and cotton swabs._

 _If she got an infection, he was done for. He'd never see her again. Boruto pressed the alcohol soaked swab to her wound. Sarada clenched her teeth and hissed, her hand that had somehow found its way to Boruto's sleeve, tightened its grip._

 _Hearing her in pain just caused Boruto to become more distressed than he was a second ago when her mental state was worrying him._

 _"I'm sorry. Just a few more seconds." He said hastily, trying his best to console her. After he was sure the wound was disinfected, he wrapped up the cut with a beige fabric and stood up. He linked hands with hers and helped her to her feet._

 _"Can you walk?"_

 _Sarada shook her head. Of course not. She was cut on her knee, and that would be more painful than on the shin or thigh._

 _Just a minute ago they were sparring, which they weren't supposed to be doing until they were 12, but you can't expect anything less from an eight year old especially when you find your Family's personal sparring compound. They started out with wooden practice sticks because Sarada wouldn't come along otherwise. Eventually Boruto strayed and handed her a steel blade, so they could spar like 'real soldiers'. Sarada too got caught in their amazing correspondence of moves and strikes and when Boruto slipped up, the rest of the story can tell itself._

 _"Dammit. Okay, I'll get your dress from the compound. No one will be able to see your leg then, and I'll help you around the castle. I'm so sorry, Izumi. I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry." Boruto sat her down on a chair, and looked at her with eyes that swam with guilt._

 _"Boruto, it's fine. I'm fine. Thank you so much for healing my leg. You did a wonderful job." She smiled at him and he felt his heart flutter._

"I'm fine." Sarada looked over Boruto's shoulder and gasped when she saw Itsuki pushing past people.

"Come to think of it, I need your help again." Instead of waiting for his consent on the subject, she dragged him towards the one of the several balconies that laced the outer wall of the ball room.

They stepped through the open glass panes of the balcony windows and the cool night air kissed her skin, sending shivers up back. Her hands lead him to the further right side of the balcony, hidden from everyone's view. Sarada leaned back against the stone fence of the balcony and she shivered when the cold surface came in contact with her bare back. She suddenly regretted listening to her mother's suggestion of a low back dress. Borutos hands braced onto the stone, on either side of Sarada.

"Can you explain what's going on? You're acting really weird." Boruto whispered.

Sarada looked over him again and kept her eyes on entrance of the balcony. She prayed that Itsuki wouldn't show up because there was only way to get rid of that pervert for good.

"Me? Acting weird? I have no idea what you are talking about." Sarada said subconsciously as she kept her eyes at the entrance.

"Listen, you can tell me." His soft voice, drew her attention to his eyes and she didn't want to look away. The eye contact itself was addicting. She never thought of him as a love interest, but there was definitely something there. An attraction, as much as she didn't want to admit it.

The way the moonlight fell on his gloriously tanned skin, how his eyes captured whoever looked in them. She felt something hot on her neck. A blush? Or even worse, she was hyper aware of all of him and his hot breath, something that healthy people don't notice at this distance.

Her eyes widened she saw a black capped head from the corner of her eye. SHIT SHIT SHIT.

"Boruto. Play along and I'll tell you later." Sarada's arms snaked around his neck and she brought her lips to his in a soft kiss that knocked the world from beneath Borutos feet. Her lips were so damn soft and he was just in heaven. He dreamed of kissing those lips for years. 'Play along' finally registered and he brought a hand to cup her face, as she broke the kiss. His hand slid down her cheek to her neck and it continued working its way down. Sarada brought her lips to the base of his neck and kissed down to his chest. Boruto groaned and her back so that he could attack her neck. His moving hand stopped at her hip and he gripped her firmly, pulling her against him. He had to remember to keep his aggression under control. He wanted to rip apart everything and ravage her lips, claim her body. He'd never felt like this before. Well, he always likes her and there were times when his thoughts got out of hand, but this? This was different.

Sarada noticed the absence of Itsuki's purple eyes. "Boruto. That's enough."

Boruto stepped away and dusted his shirt, leaving a decent one foot from each others body.

"You're so icky." He murmured.

"What? I can explain." Sarada began, crossing her arms and sighing. "Besides, don't act like you've never kissed anyone before. It was my first kiss that got wasted on an idiot."

Boruto glared at her. "I've never kissed anyone, but that doesn't mean people haven't kissed me. Girls these days, they just drag you to a corner and kiss you like there's no tomorrow." He raised both brows at her.

"I didn't do it because I have a crush on you, smartass. I kissed you so Itsuki thinks I'm in love with someone else, and would leave me alone. He was continuously sending the message that he wanted to have sex with me, and that's a no no." Sarada's voice had dropped to a whisper. "I'm sorry about the kiss, take it as revenge for all the times I've almost gotten in trouble because of you. Now, can I stay with you...for the rest of the night?"

Boruto smirked and arched his brows suggestively.

"I mean till the ball is over, you pervert." Sarada quickly corrected herself. She knew Boruto, he was always respectful of her space but that never stopped him from spreading his inappropriate humor.

Boruto places a finger to his chin and smiled, cockily. "So are you saying I'll be kissing you the whole night? Because I could get used to this."

Sarada rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. Just keep me company in return for that time I lied to the King."

Boruto lifted up his arms, defensively. "Alright, god, you're as cold as ever."

Sarada leaned on the stone railing and let the cool breeze take her away. "I'm thirsty."

"I'll bring something for us. Champagne? Or something stronger maybe?" He turned to leave before quickly asking Sarada her preference.

"You know I'm not a strong drinker."

Boruto chuckled as they both remembered the last time they had met.

 _"Boruto!" She hissed, tugging the collar of his tunic._

 _Boruto whipped his head around to her and glared, and she quickly returned the expression, crossing her arms._

 _"I said I'll tell you when we get there." His whisper echoed off into the vents that they were traveling through again, Boruto's only way to get around the castle without being caught._

 _Sarada rolled her eyes. "Listen, I have to leave in five hours. This better be worth it."_

 _Boruto winced as he contemplated if what he was going to do was worth it. "More or less."_

 _After another five minutes of crawling through the dark, dusting vents, Boruto felt for a tile to push out. His hand grazed an indent in the surface and he grinned through the dark, pushing the tile up and letting the intense light stream in. He pushed the tile aside and climbed through, before helping Sarada out like the gentleman he was raised to be._

 _"Oh god." Sarada gawked at the room as her eyes adjusted to the lighting. It was none other than the King's alcohol chamber. Barrels upon barrels of wine lay stacked up in a bright candlelit room. On the other side was a bottle and two glasses, clean and untouched, laying on a small table. Probably for just for the King but Boruto couldn't care less._

 _"So Izumi, ever tried alcohol?" Boruto cooed, approaching the green bottle, filled with the most divine wine in Konoha._

 _"No of course not! I'm underage you idiot!" She hissed, clenching her teeth in annoyance._

 _Boruto poured two glasses and lifted one towards her. "Well that makes two of us. Come on, try a sip with me?"_

 _"Hell no." She crosses her arms and raised her brows in the 'make me' expression._

 _"I won't see you for four years. Just one sip couldn't possibly hurt. I've always wondered what it tastes like, haven't you?" His voice was low and addicting to the ear. She wanted to leave him and crawl back through the vents but her brain said otherwise. She felt inclined to listen to him._

 _She sighed and took the glass. "One sip."_

 _Boruto pumped a fist in the air, "Hell yeah! Ok, at once. Three, two, one."_

 _They clinked glasses and brought the rims to their lips, taking generous sips and pulling back to analyze._

 _Sarada gagged and wiped at her mouth in distaste, while Boruto continued taking tiny sips._

 _"What? You don't like it? It does taste odd, but nonetheless exquisite. I might be visiting this old chamber more often than I thought I would." Boruto grinned from ear to ear and downed the whole glass. Sarada took another few sips and cringed._

 _"You idiot! Don't drink too much or they'll be able to smell it!" Sarada snatched the glass out of his hand._

 _Boruto glared. "Hey! I'll just tell them that someone spilt wine on my tunic, it's black anyway so they won't be able to tell."_

 _"Whatever, you're underage so you shouldn't be drinking this much." Sarada put away the glasses and crossed her arms._

 _"Well I'm not drunk am I? Tch. Anyways, that was fun while it lasted, I'm sure you enjoyed?" Boruto lifted his brows and smiled._

 _"Hardly. That stuff tastes weird. Though I'm pretty sure you have to acquire the taste. Which you've probably got down already." Sarada leaned back against the wall._

 _Boruto stood parallel to her and crossed his arms. "Are you gonna drink when you're older?"_

 _"Why is drinking so important to you?"_

 _"Why is it not to you? Its fun. All the adults drink and laugh and get drunk." Boruto muttered._

 _Sarada sighed. "You should cherish your youth, Boruto. Though I must admit, it does seem kind of fun."_

 _The sound of a door creaking open echoed through the room and Boruto froze. He gripped Sarada's arm and pulled her towards the vents._

 _"Boruto." A stern voice made the blonde let go of Sarada and twirl towards the source._

 _"Ay, Dad! How's it going?" Boruto's swag whipped out immediately and he grinned, innocently at the King._

 _"What're you doing down here?" He asked walking up to them. "And with Izumi too?"_

 _"It's not what you think. We were just walking around and we happened to find this room so we checked it out." Boruto's lie flew smoothly but nothing could pass by his own father who was way too used to his antics._

 _"Is this true, Izumi?"_

 _SHIT! She couldn't possibly lie to the King. No way in hell. She looked over to Boruto and saw his pleading eyes. His fingers grazed hers and she felt the fear in him. He didn't want to get taken away from her. She didn't want it either._

 _"Y-yes, your majesty. We got bored. I'm so sorry for intruding." She lied through her clenched teeth and released a deathly intent towards Boruto._

 _"You don't have to lie. First, if you wanted me to believe you two, get rid of the open bottle and glasses I set up for myself, Secondly Boruto, you smell like red wine, and lastly." He pointed to a drop red on the shoulder of Saradas white dress. "That wasn't part of the design now was it?"_

 _Boruto stepped on front of her. "Listen, I forced her to. It's my fault. She didn't do anything I swear. I was just curious about what wine tasted like and I brought her along because," Boruto's eyes lingered on her face. "-because I wanted her to try it too."_

 _Naruto shook his head and smiled. "I'm letting you off because Izumi is here. Expect consequences when she's gone." He turned and walked out the room._

 _Boruto rolled his eyes and mimicked his dads parting words. He turned to Sarada and smiled apologetically._

 _"All I ever do is get you into trouble, huh?" He mused with hooded eyes, and a soft smile, on its way to sincere._

 _Sarada smiled at him. "But you always get me out of it."_

 _Boruto's cheeks heated up and his eyes fell to her lips. CRAP! He thought, quickly looking at the drop of wine on her dress. Her lips looked soft. He wondered what they would feel like on his own. The thought brought another intense wave of heat to his face._

 _"Um, lets go...you have to leave soon, right?" He looked around and walked back to the vents._

.

"Here." Boruto's silky voice interrupted her flashback. He held out a delicate stem glass with a dark liquid in it.

"Is this red wine?" She asked, taking the glass from him with a grateful smile.

"You know it is." Boruto leaned against the stone and brought the glass to his lips.

"I got into trouble a couple of more times ya know. Somehow he always knew when I had broken into the cellar. In fact, he placed a barrel of wine on top of the vent entrance. He found out about the tunnels." Boruto swirled the contents of his glass around and looked towards the Sarada.

She smiled at him and took a small sip. "Do you continue to pester him with your pranks."

"Tch. I've found better ways. Just being rude and outgoing around him is enough. I've kinda gotta watch out for the age ya know. Although I miss pranking a lot."

Sarada smoothed out her red dress and quickly checked her hair.

Boruto spoke, "Have you heard? Rumors of another elf in Konoha. A girl."

Sarada's shivered as the cool wind licked her bare arms. "Yes. I've heard. What're they doing about it?"

Boruto clicked his tongue in distaste. "I couldn't care less. I hate everything about the authorities. The law. The king. It's all shit. The least they could do is tell us why magic is banned."

"Mmm. I hate it too." She agreed, although the meaning was much deeper for her.

"Wait. a fucking. minute. What the hell is he doing?" Boruto asked all of a sudden. Sarada turned her gaze towards the interior of the ballroom and followed Boruto's eyes.

Inojin and Himawari were extremely close to each other. Basically touching. Boruto glared at the two.

"You can't control her forever."

Boruto glared at Sarada. "Tch. She doesn't know what she's doing. She doesn't know anything about safety either."

"That's not true. You knew it all by 13."

"Well, Himawari doesn't." Boruto grunted.

Sarada rolled her eyes. "Sure thing, your highness."

"Izumi! Don't call me that! I know it's a joke but I can't stand it." He whined turning his attention away from his sister and frowning at Sarada.

She grinned and took another sip of wine. A remnant of the liquid remained on her lip and licked it off. Boruto was entranced by her, completely forgetting about the matter he was raging about earlier. Her dark eyes lifted towards the moon.

"The view is so beautiful from your castle. The night sky, glittering city lights, it's perfect. Good thing I'll be staying for a few months."

Boruto's eyes lit up. "No way. A few months?! Oh heck yes!" He pumped a fist in the air and laughed in joy. More time with Sarada was all he ever wanted.

Sarada giggled and put her glass on the side. "So what do you say about giving me a tour of the castle tomorrow?" She drawled.

Boruto smirked. "Anything for you." He extended his hand towards her. There was only meaning to a 'castle tour' when she had already visited many times. They were going out to the city. Again.

Sarada placed her slender hand in his and smiled softly.

AH HEY! Ok I'd like to thank shinobi_babe for beta reading my story. You ARE THE SHIZ. LIKE I CANT THANKSBDHSNSKXJNSJDHD! Ok thanks so much for reading! Tell me your favorite part of the story! Vote and comment! Thanks fam!


	4. Swords and Dango

The Prince of Konoha dropped his pen in frustration. He's been up since the sun rose, filling in paper work and writing letters. If he was to become king one day, he'd better start working.

All of the letters were complete and just a few more stacks of documents had to be signed and filed. Boruto looked outside again, and picked up his quill, impatiently tapping the nib against the table. He wanted to get out so badly. Besides, someone was waiting for him.

Boruto looked to his right and smiled brightly at the Lord, Shikadai Nara.

"What is it now?" Shikadai sighed and looked at Borutos innocent grin. Not this shit again. It was the same face he would put on whenever he wanted Shikadai to cover for him and his work.

"So." Boruto drawled, sliding his finger over the smooth, oak table, "it's been a long day, and I have...uh...many inspections to do outside. I was supposed to be done by now but fatigue got the better of me. Do you mind, maybe, covering for me?" Boruto flashed a dashing grin that would make any woman swoon. Except Shikadai wasn't a woman.

Shikadai sighed again. This guy. He probably wants to hang out with Izumi again. But it'll be a drag if I have to stay here longer than I'm meant to.

Before Shikadai could give a reply, Boruto interrupted him with a quick thanks and jumped off the seat.

Boruto halted halfway through the doorway. "Oh! I'll send Yodo here for you. I noticed work gets done quicker when she's around." He clicked his tongue and winked at Shikadai, who was trying to hide the light pink dusting upon his cheeks.

Boruto resumed his prince like posture and began scanning the hallways, in search for the Haruno girl. He stopped by the library, it was too obvious that she would be in there. Boruto slipped in and found his way to the small corner where Sarada would sit. It was located at the edge of a window, allowing strong rays of sun for her to read, and a comfy purple couch was at the corner. He ordered that sofa specifically for her after he saw her sitting on the ground the first time.

Sarada wasn't there though. Boruto huffed a small breath and continued his search.

The familiar sounds of wood striking against wood, shouts and harsh breathing echoed through the halls as Boruto approached the sparring compound. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to take a quick peak at who was dueling today. He leaned against the doorway and almost gagged in surprise. Inojin and Himawari were playfully sparring, laughing and giggling as they clashed staffs.

Boruto cleared his throat, loud enough for the two to break apart and notice his existence.

"H-hello, big brother. What're you doing here?" Himawari said, nervously laughing as she distances herself from Inojin.

Boruto rolled his eyes and decided to ignore them for today. He had bigger things on his mind.

"Have you guys seen Izumi?" Boruto inquired, crossing his arms and raising a brow at the two.

Before they could answer, Izumi left her post as audience and walked into Borutos view. He didn't see her sitting behind the weaponry racks when his sister was sparring with Inojin before.

"She's right here." Sarada said, standing parallel to him.

"Heh, didn't see you there."

"Mmm." Sarada looked straight into Boruto's piercing blue eyes and held his stare. Just having him in the room was refreshing, everything about him was refreshing. She was practically obsessed with his presence, and it took a week to adjust to the air without him every time she returned home.

"Do you want to spar with me?" Sarada asked, smiling innocently. "Just one match?"

There was no way in hell he could ever say no to her. She didn't even have to make puppy eyes and he would say yes.

"Sure. I'll go easy, I swear." Boruto retorted, tilting his head up and smirking at her.

Sarada scoffed and walked towards the changing room, and Boruto's eyes remained glued to the swaying of her hips the whole way.

"Give me a moment to change."

She disappeared into the room and Boruto walked over to grab a weapon.

"Oh, so The Prince Of Konoha can stare at any girl's ass, and I can't?" Inojin stated, smirking at Boruto.

"I wasn't staring at her ass. Besides, if you're even thinking about Himawari I'll kill you. She's my sister and she's a queen, so treat her like one." Boruto shot him a cutting glare, but Inojin remained unfazed.

"Oh I do." Inojin smiled and leaned all his weight onto one leg. Boruto, being the oblivious idiot he is, didn't register the true meaning of that statement.

He positioned himself on the square piece, meant for the matches. The room had eight sparring rings and one large ring for competitions or tournaments. Each ring had two small squares plates, large enough to stand in, that were the starting points. Sarada emerged from the room, wearing a maroon tunic and black pants, accompanied with black boots and a white fabric wrapped tight around her wrists.

"You ready?" She grabbed a sword and stationed herself on the square.

"Tch. I should be asking you that." He smirked and bent his knees, ready to pounce at any moment.

.

Shikadai's attention was drawn from a stack of documents when he heard silent knocking on the door. A slender woman with long, blonde hair and crimson cosmetics walked in and took a seat, right beside him.

"Yodo. Who sent you here?" Shikadai asked quietly. He didn't actually think Boruto would send her. He was a hundred percent sure that was a joke.

Yodo raised a brow and spoke, "I came here of my own accord. Is there a problem with that?" Why would he think that anyone sent her? She just wanted to see if he needed any help.

"Oh." Shikadai cursed himself internally, "No, sorry about that."

Yodo picked up a sheet of paper and read through the contents.

"Shouldn't the prince be dealing with this?" She asked, placing the paper back in its stack.

"Yeah. He should." Shikadai replied, signing off a sheet and placing it in a new stack of completed documents.

"Then what are you doing?"

"His job?" Shikadai mused, dropping the quill and stretching out. He yawned and scratched the back of his neck before giving Yodo an exhausted look.

"Why?" She pressed, leaning forward.

Shikadai smiled to himself. "It's a drag having to stay here any longer than I'm supposed to but it's all for Boruto. When we were still kids, my father made a decision to send me to the south for tactical training. I never complained because that'd be too troublesome, but I didn't really want to leave. Boruto is my best friend, and leaving him was going to be really sad for me. Boruto wouldn't take it though. He spent days trying to convince his dad to let me stay at the castle.

"The day I was to depart, The King complied and requested my father to keep me here as a general in training. I don't know exactly what he had to go through to keep me here but I might as well make it worth it. I owe him. I'm happy here."

Yodo smiled. "Seems good enough for a reason. Does Prince Boruto use that to his advantage?"

Shikadai chuckled, "He's probably forgotten all about that to be honest."

Yodo hummed and leaned back in her chair. "You've made yourself a good friend."

.

Boruto turned on his heals and brought his sword down to block Sarada's attack. He quickly brought the sword to his chest and made an attempt to wack her on the leg. The goal of the match, was to dodge the opponent's attacks for as long as possible. Three hits and you're out. Boruto was down to one and Sarada still had two.

"WOOH! Go Izumi!" Himawari cheered, jumping in excitement.

Boruto ducked under a mighty swipe and scoffed. "A little support to your loving older brother couldn't hurt too." He jumped forward and side stepped another one of Sarada's quick strikes, earning him an open space. He took advantage of the split second he had her open and wacked her thigh, with a little pressure. He knew the match was serious but he couldn't bring himself to wack too hard. Sarada on the other hand, intentionally wacked him with force. He probably had two long, red lines running across his chest and back.

Another rule. If you get knocked to the ground, automatic loss. Boruto kept that in mind as his star move. Many wouldn't use this move, because keeping your focus on trying to trip the opponent will make you forget about the three hits. Boruto, however made sure the opponent forget about the move and at the perfect moment, flip.

Boruto glided around the circle, avoiding her attacks with ease and making Sarada's frustration grow hot. He smirked and when he noticed Sarada lose a bit of her composure, he prepared himself for her final blow

. One sloppy strike. That's all he needed. He sidestepped her two handed attack, hooked his foot in her ankle and tugged hard and fast. Sarada fell on her back and gasped when he brought the tip of the wooden sword to her nose. She winced when he tapped her forehead and smiled brightly.

"I won."

A split second before he could retreat his sword. Sarada hooked her own foot behind his ankle and jerked him swiftly.

She smirked when his body collided with the ground. He groaned and tossed the sword away. His hand fell back to the ground and his fingertips grazed hers. She felt a bolt of electricity zap her from the contact but she resisted and kept her hand still.

.

 _"Hey! Are you reading a romance novel again?" Boruto exclaimed, jumping onto the purple sofa that Sarada sat upon. She yelped and shut the book in surprise._

 _"Boruto! You scared me." She said, opening the book again and smiling softly. "Think again. It's an astronomical dictionary!"_

 _Boruto gagged. "That's boring! Let's do something fun together!" Boruto tugged the book out of her hand._

 _"No!" She snatched it back and stuck her tongue out at him. "Just look at this."_

 _She opened the page up to what she was reading earlier. She inched closer to boruto and he leaned over to read._

 _"It's a comet that passes by every 100 years, on this day! I really want to see it! Isn't it pretty?" She pointed to the colored sketch on the side and Boruto nodded._

 _His eyes widened as an idea struck him. "Hey, what time does it come by this region?"_

 _"In 20 minutes actually. It's says over here, 9:00 pm at country of fire, mid zone." Her fingers traced over the ink of the time zone chart and she looked at boruto, curiously._

 _"We can make it!" He grabbed her wrist and began running out the library._

 _Sarada caught on with his pace and hastily bunched up her dress in her other hand so she didn't trip. "Make what? Boruto I want to finish the book!" She yelled the last words in his ear._

 _Boruto rolled his eyes and took a turn, climbing up the stairs to his tower._

 _"Why are we going to your room? I want to read Boruto! Let me go!" Sarada whined, pulling her arm._

 _"Shhhh! I have a surprise!" He hissed, slowing down and letting go of her arm. "Please, just follow me. You'll love it."_

 _He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back, before following him up the stairs. Boruto and Sarada shut the door and locked it up._

 _Boruto tugged Sarada's sleeve. "Look." He pulled a tapestry on his wall down and revealed a ladder that lead to a small hatch._

 _"Really?" She deadpanned._

 _Boruto rolled his eyes. "Follow me."_

 _He climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch, scrambling through and then reaching his hand out to help her up like the chivalrous boy he was raised to be._

 _Sarada gawked when her eyes adjusted to the scene before her. A small, beautiful garden. It took up the whole roof, Delicate grass, peppered with tiny white and blue flowers, and a perfect view of the Konoha's starry night sky._

 _"I thought, Maybe we could watch the comet together. It's fun and something you like." Boruto scratched the back of his head and smiled nervously._

 _A second later, Sarada threw herself onto him in a tight embrace, that left them rolling on the grass. She laughed and they both lay in the cold grass, staring up at the sky._

 _"Thank you so much." She breathed, eyes darting around the sky, searching for the comet. Little did she know, her fingers were lined up with Boruto's, leaving him in a hot, red mess. Even if it was just their fingers, it left him flustered._

 _He turned his head and watched Sarada as she scanned the sky, with a wide smile on her lips. His gaze shifted back to their hands and he gulped. His fingers slowly wrapped around hers, and he smiled when she didn't protest._

 _He caught her taking a peak and he stuttered, "Oh haha, it's so cold and your hands are always warm so I just.." He chuckled nervously and Sarada rolled her eyes, a small smile plastered to her plump lips._

 _She gasped and her fingers automatically wrapped around his in a tight hold. "It's right there!" She whispered. Boruto followed her gaze and gasped in delight._

 _It was beautiful. A ruby, brighter than any candle light, with stunning streaks of white, twinkling and dazzling. The comet glittered in their eyes as they watched it fly by. It looked like someone had thrown a piece of glimmering fire across the sky._

 _"Its...beautiful." She commented, entranced by the light._

 _A couple of minutes passed and the ruby comet was gone. Sarada sat up and rubbed her eyes, making sure that she was awake and that this was all real._

 _"Boruto. That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She whispered._

 _The blonde smirked and placed his hands on his hips. "I know!" He stated._

.

Boruto sat up and took a deep breath, looked over to Sarada and then grinned. "Tie?"

Sarada scoffed. "You still won, genius. Hey, Inojin and Himwari are gone."

Boruto winced in the pain of noticing that. Just ignore them. "So, should we sneak out now?"

Sarada grinned back, that same devilish smile they were both so fond of.

Two horses, with robed riders, heading straight to the city. Boruto made arrangements so that no one would be around the back exit while they escaped.

A few minutes of riding and laughing, they were at the big city. Rows after rows of shops, restaurants and stalls littered the streets. A smell of fresh baked bread and sizzling meat and western music strumming, brought Sarada to stop her horse at a stable and jump off.

Boruto didn't even bother complaining and just ran right after her.

"Was this here before?" She asked pointing to the restaurant that exuded painfully scrumptious aromas.

Boruto nodded and stood beside her. "I'd think so but I've never been here. Wanna try it out? I haven't had breakfast so I'm down for anything."

Sarada flashed an excited smile. "Sure!"

They walked in to be greeted with the most beautiful restaurant interior ever met by the eye. Birch wood furniture and lush, plantation lining the walls and corners. The windows were dark stained glass and dimmed down the room which was illuminated by several jars that hung from the ceiling, each with a pit of fire. A small stream of cool water ran through the ground, and made spirals to the center of the room. It gave off the naturalness that you would only experience if you went for a late night walk through the woods.

Sarada inhaled the pine scented air and followed Boruto to a small, two seater at corner of the room, away from attention. Despite the early morning it was, the restaurant was filled with couples and friends, out for a good breakfast.

After ordering, Boruto and Sarada indulged in a deep conversation.

"My father said I have to get married before 21! Can you believe that?! So ever since then, I've been trying to be as annoying as i can possibly be so that no one marries me. I think it's working too."

Sarada sighed, thinking about all his fan girls that he was oblivious to. "Sure. Why don't you want to get married?"

Boruto looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Do you want to get married?"

Sarada glared at him. "No."

"Exactly." He added.

"I have my reasons, Boruto. You are the prince anyway. You should be thinking of marriage."

Boruto ignored her lecture and continued pressing against the topic. "What are your reasons? What if I had reasons too?"

Sarada sighed again and shook her head. "What reasons could you possibly have?"

"Maybe I don't want an arranged marriage like my father. Maybe I want to get married to someone I've fallen in love with. Does that not sound ideal to you?"

Sarada hesitated. He had a point. A marriage through love was much better than arranged and she knew that based on all the romance novels she's read.

"Well, you're right. Why don't you find a love then?" She asked, thanking the waitress when their food arrived.

"Well..." Boruto knew the answer to that question too well. He had already found someone. "I don't know. So why don't you explain your reason huh? Stop dodging my question."

Sarada scowled. "I...I don't want to fall in love. I don't want to be with anyone. I'm fine by myself."

Boruto's heart hitched. Nobody huh? Well there goes my dreams. "You sworn to chastity or something?"

"No!" Sarada rolled her eyes and cut into the soft meat before her.

Boruto chuckled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Boruto kept the atmosphere lively with jokes and laughter for as long as possible. Hearing her soft, silky laughs was all he wanted right now. All he needed. These last four years were the hardest for him. Trying to forget about her for even a day was impossible, but it kept him going. Looking forward to her arrival kept him going.

.

Naruto stared into his bowl of soup and sighed. His gaze shifted to Hinata who sat elegantly by his side.

"Hinata. I'm worried-,"

"About Boruto?" She finished, earning a nod from her husband.

"He threw away the letter that contained the list of suitors and told me it never came." He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

Hinata smiled empathetically. "Maybe he just needs a bit more time-,"

"Hinata, he's twenty now. I know you love him, I do too, but he needs to take control of his life. Stop the pranks and running around with Izumi all day." Naruto froze. "He's with Izumi all day. You think?..."

Hinata nodded. "She's his friend. Of course he's going to spend time with her."

"She's a girl though. Boruto doesn't even hang out with Shikadai that much."

Hinata stood up and walked over to Naruto, placing a delicate hand upon his shoulder. He leaned into her body and closed his eyes.

"I'll talk to him. You shouldn't worry too much about him."

"Yeah, maybe he'll listen to you."

.

Hours of browsing through the shops passed by like seconds and through it all, Boruto made sure that Sarada never stopped smiling. He randomly bought her small trinkets and pieced of jewelry as they passed in and out of shops, because watching her face light with joy was a real treat for himself.

"Boruto, let's get some dango." She said, pointing to a small stall near the tea shop. Boruto smiled brightly at her. He'd never say no. Never in his life.

"Sure thing." He replied cheerfully.

Sarada squealed when she took the last bite of the sweet, rice flour treat. "You spoil me too much."

Boruto scoffed. "At least I'm using my own money this time."

Sarada laughed and discarded the dango container. "Yeah, if I can recall, last time you took advantage of your father's name for everything we purchased."

"My dad compensated for that." He smiled nervously. "Anyways. Where do you wanna go next?"

"Anywhere is fine with you."

Boruto excused himself to the side so he could cover his blush. What the hell?! He removed all traces of his flustered state and resumed his natural demeanor.

"O-oh. How about...well we've been everywhere today, huh?" He scratched the back of his head directed his eyes to the castle. We could go to my room for some fun, He wanted to say but he would lose his life if he tried.

Sarada chuckled and followed his gaze. "Maybe, we should return. It's getting late."

Boruto hummed in response and the two walked back to the stables.

"That was fun. Thank you so much, Boruto." She climbed onto her horse and watched him untie the leash.

"Anytime. I hope we can find free time like this again." The prince hoisted himself onto the horse and smiled brightly at Sarada.

.

"My King, intel from the ANBU." Shikadai announced, walking into the throne room with Yodo beside him.

"Yes?" Naruto looked up from the documents that Shikamaru had just given him. He had to make sure Boruto was doing his job right and apparently he was.

"Rumors of the female elf is confirmed."

Naruto's eyes widened. He handed the documents back to Shikamaru, his eyes glued to Shikadai. "Go on."

"The ANBU search team have been scouting for years now and we've just discovered a way to detect any use of chakra. It works too."

Chakra. The energy source that was also known as magic. Years ago, the use of chakra was banned. Anyone who had the ability to control chakra would be killed, on order of the King. Elves, such as Sasuke Uchiha, have a very powerful chakra along with the sharingan. Considering that he has daughter, the chances that she has the sharingan are very high.

The sharingan is one of the three most powerful visual prowesses along with the Byakugan and Rinnegan, and is the only visual prowess that continues to exist. As far as the King knows, the Byakugan and the Rinnegan have been completely eradicated.

"Explain." The King rested his chin on his fist and leaned forward in anticipation.

"Well, the researchers at the Nara Institute found an herb in the Land of Water, that possesses a special property to react to Chakra. As it gets closer, it begins to radiate a blue light. We tested it on old traces of armor that used to run on chakra, and it seems to be promising. It's as close as we can get to detecting Chakra so we might as well use it to our advantage. If anything, it'll make tracking Sasuke Uchiha easier." Shikadai explained.

Naruto nodded. "I want a detailed report. Only the top brass will be supplied with this information. You are dismissed."

Shikadai turned on his heal and before walking out, Naruto called his name again. "Yes, your majesty?"

Naruto cleared his throat, "How's my son?"

Shikadai smiled apologetically. "He's fine. Running away from work, but fine."

Naruto nodded. At least, the little work he happens to actually complete, is exceptional work.

.

"Do you wanna do anything?" Boruto inquired, walking around Sarada.

She smiled and continued walking to the library. "Boruto, you've done enough for me today. There's nothing much to do."

"Yeah I know, but making you smile is always a pleasure." He blurted. "Don't you enjoy my princely company?" He attempted to cover up.

But sadly, his words had already sunk into Sarada's head. She made a mental note to think about that later. "Am I supposed to?"

Boruto frowned and Sarada chuckled. "I'm kidding. I do, but won't you get into trouble if you don't complete your duties?"

"How'd you know if I haven't completed them yet?"

Sarada raised her brows at him. "Really? When have you ever completed them?"

Boruto nodded in agreement. "Well, maybe I got them out of the way this time and I want to use my time on you."

"Why?" She approached the library and halted. "Why 'me'? Not that I don't enjoy your company but, I hope you don't feel inclined to keep me entertained or anything."

"I spend time with you on my own accord. Maybe I enjoy 'your' company." Boruto smirked and crossed his arms, stepping up closer to her.

Sarada rolled her eyes, unable to hide her smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did." She turned to face him straight.

He looked down straight into her dark eyes, her long dark lashes, the soft curve of her cheeks. His arm began to lift on its own, desperate to feel her. Boruto stopped his rising arm, unaware that his thirst to touch her was consuming him. He feigned a cough and took a step back.

"Well. I guess I won't bother you anymore." He laughed nervously and swirled around, walking away.

Sarada chuckled and entered the library.

She grabbed a random book and plopped down on the usual purple couch.

She opened up the book with the intent to read, but ended up paying attention to the swarming thoughts in her head.

 _Alright, I've done enough procrastination about sorting these thoughts out. First of all...why have I been mentally calling him cute for the entire time we were out in town. I've never said that before, no boy is cute. Nope. Boruto is my friend and I will not have any romantic feelings towards an idiot or anyone at all at that. Why did I kiss him too? That night, I didn't have to kiss him. I could've hugged him, held his face, touched him. But I went straight for a kiss and I told myself it was the only way, so I didn't feel weird about it._

 _Second, why did he just spend his entire day on a useless noble when he could've been working. I know I'm his friend but...his work should be prioritized over me. I don't want to sound like I think his attention is all on me, but it really feels like that, and I can't help feeling like that because I'm so conscious around him. Then he keeps saying stupid things like 'Anything for you' and it's just so...like a cliche romance novel but I still enjoy it. And some how he gets me to reciprocate words like that. It's like he controls what I say when I'm around him, and I say things that I shouldn't say aloud around him. But it makes me feel free and open. I can say confined things and he doesn't care. He makes me more comfortable, and makes me happy._

 _And he makes me think about things like this, when I should be reading. I wonder what he's doing right now._

.

"I swear, if you don't stop that right now, I'm going to commit suicide." Shikadai groaned, and rolled his eyes at Boruto, who was currently reading out a very sensual scene from a romance novel he found.

"Oh god! Yes! Keep going!" Boruto mimicked the character and created very inappropriate movements with his body before bursting into a fit of laughter. "I'm kidding! Come on, have a little fun sometimes."

Shikadai cringed in disgust. "That's not fun, that's vulgar. Why do I keep you company again?"

"Beats me, but you signed up for this. And by this, I mean sass, procrastination and a whole lot of inappropriate jokes." Boruto tossed the book onto a couch and returned to his desk again.

The Prince plopped down on his chair and stared at the massive pile of documents, stacked before him. He squinted at them, in an intense stare, as if doing so would have them signed off quicker. Or better, burst into flames.

Shikadai watched him continue his fiery stare down with papers and sighed. "If you complete them all within the next two hours, I'll have a sparring duel with you."

Boruto jumped out of his seat and gasped at Shikadai. "Seriously?!" He exclaimed, a smile forming on his lips.

"Seriously, but only if you finish. If you can't, well...I guess I'll spar with Inojin." Shikadai shrugged lazily and smirked.

Boruto immediately started reading through the papers. "I'm not letting that happen."

Shikadai smiled at his achievement. Boruto was so easy when it came to bribery. He turned on his heel and headed out.

"Where are you going?" Boruto asked, his eyes still glued to the documents.

"I have a mission with Yodo to prepare for. I'll be back in an hour."

.

Himawari strolled through the lush gardens within the castle walls. She'd only ever come here for two reasons; enjoying the refreshing aroma of her mother's personal choice of flowers, or because if Inojin couldn't be found anywhere in the castle, he was out here drawing. Of course he would choose a ridiculous time like this, when the suns going down and there's no light. Typical.

She spotted him seated on a small bench, surrounded by a grove of sunflowers. Sunflowers. Inojin once told her that they were his favorite flowers, yet the reason for his preference was never said.

"Inojin!" She exclaimed, making her way through the grove, and taking her time because she didn't want to snag her dress and rip it. After stepping back on to cool, silver stone, she found herself bending over to peek at what Inojin was sketching. "Me again?"

Inojin chuckled, nervously. "I can't help it. I like to draw beautiful things, and you fit the requirements."

Himawari laughed a soft laugh, that sounded like gentle bells and ocean tides. Inojin's heart fluttered and he almost dropped his pen. She looked perfect amongst the sunflowers, considering her pale yellow gown and dark hair, and her piercing blue eyes which complemented the creamy, orange hues of the sunset.

He felt her small hands circle around his, and snatch the quill away. "Can I try?"

Inojin nodded and flipped to a new page of his sketchbook. It was gift from his father, a special sketchbook from the southern continent. The papers were made of papyrus and he even received a bottle of blue ink from the land of water.

Himawari took a seat beside Inojin, and pressed the nib of the quill to the paper. She never thought too hard on what she wanted for draw. It always came out, straight from her heart, kind of like the drawing drew itself. She began sketching out and Inojin leaned in closer to observe.

"That's me?" Inojin muttered.

Himawari pouted at him and put up a small glare. "Ay, I'm not as good as you are when it comes to drawing so don't tease me."

Inojin smirked and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Sorry about that."

"Sure. Hey, do you think my brother likes Sarada?" Himawari asked, giving up on drawing the legs because she knew she'd mess it up.

"Well, considering that he gets a little problem down in his pants every time he sees her, I'd say yes." His arm snakes around her waist as the conversation continued.

Himawari chuckled and elbowed him playfully. "I think he likes her too."

"I think I like you." Inojin lifted Himawari off the bench and sat her on his lap. She placed the sketchbook on the side and let her hands find their way to his chest.

"If you say that to my brother, he'll murder you." Himawari countered.

"Then let's keep it in the bedroom?" He said smugly, his hands enjoying the smooth curve of her back. Inojin kissed her lips, with little to no pressure, knowing that it would bother Himawari and urge her to take the lead. And it did, because a second after Himawari was pushing the kiss into a deeper one, while her arms circled around his neck. Inojin reciprocated the kiss this time, pulling her closer to him.

"Sorry for interrupting, but isn't this a public garden? Anyone could walk in."

Himawari pulled apart from Inojin and looked at the source of that voice. Sarada was standing, arms crossed and smirking at the two.

"Ah great. Izumi get out of here. You always attract Boruto and he just makes everything worse." Inojin snapped, refusing to let go of Himawari.

"I don't attract him. Anyways, it's late so you two should head back in. Maybe get a room?" She turned on her heel and spared a quick wink towards Himawari, causing a rush of blood to her cheeks.

Inojin sighed. "Moment ruined by the Haruno. Good job."

"You'll thank me later. I'm sure sex in a garden isn't really the best thing." She called out, her back still towards them as she made her way out of the grove.

Inojin scowled and helped Himawari off his lap. "Damn you, Izumi." He muttered under his breath, standing and collecting his art supplies.

A moment later, a group of guards approached the two. "Inojin, you've been called to a top brass meeting. Takes place tomorrow at seven in morning. No later."

Himawari narrowed her eyes. "Did my father also request my attendance?"

"No. You're too young, princess, maybe give it some time." The guard replied, smiling at her apologetically. Himawari slumped and gave the guard the closest thing to a smile.

"O-oh. That's alright." She said in, making an attempt to hide the disappointment in her face. Inojin reached over and enveloped her hand in his own, giving her a comforting a smile.

.

"Shikadai, top brass meeting tomorrow at seven in the morning." Yodo stated, strolling into his office. He lifted his head off of the table and looked at her with drowsy eyes. He was sleeping. Again.

"W-what?" He stuttered, leaning back so he could take in her full form. His green eyes grazed over her body, and he finally registered who was standing there. "Oh. Hey Yodo." Shikadai said, voice raspy from sleep.

"Hey. Now don't be late, alright? Remember, seven in the morning. I'll arrive a little later, so don't wait up for me." She placed a hand on her hip and watched Shikadai, still in a daze. "I hope you heard all that?"

"Yeah yeah. Seven in the morning, top brass, a real drag, got it." He rested his head on the table again and sighed, clearly exhausted from sparring with Boruto. "I won't ever make stupid deals with him again."

Yodo chuckled and made her way back to her room.

.

Boruto sat down in the sparring rink, polishing the weapons that he had used to duel with Shikadai. A spear, a sword, a dagger and a staff. As a prince, he grew up training with knights who taught him how to battle with an assortment of weaponry. Then came hand to hand combat, which he excelled in. He was a prodigy.

The soft moonlight casted down from the small opening in the ceiling, bouncing off of his bare back. He wrecked his tunic again during battle. It now has a huge tear across the chest.

The familiar creak of the doors opening averted Borutos attention from his weapons. A round face and blue eyes brought a smile to his face.

"Hey." She greeted, walking up to him, and plopping down, so that they were sitting parallel to each other with a row of blades between them.

"Hey." Boruto replied, lifting the dagger. It was forged out of steel from the country of lightening, which meant that he would never had to worry about it chipping or dulling out. Their steel always remained sharp and shiny, the best of the best. He brought a wad of cloth to its tip and began rubbing it down to the hilt.

"You're probably going to be attending the meeting?" She asked, her eyes glued to his deft hands, as they worked on the blade.

"Yeah. I wonder what they want this time." His blue eyes flicked up to meet a carbon copy of his own. "Don't worry. If it's not too confidential, I'll tell you a bit about it."

"You know you can't do that. It's okay though. I just wanted to know." She smiled to herself, masking the sadness. She wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, but she always did find it unfair that at the age of seventeen, Boruto was admitted to the top brass. The top brass was a league of the most skilled and elite shinobi in Konoha. Boruto got in easy, but The Queen refused to allow her only daughter in. She was too precious to her, and she wanted her to be protected from the outer world.

"I see. So, how're things with Inojin?" He asked, frustrated at himself because it was the only topic he could ask her about to change the subject although it killed him to care.

"Great." She smiled brightly, glad to have the gloomy subject out of the way.

Boruto squinted, "I hope you two haven't taken it too far. May I remind you that you're only seventeen." He said the last word in a hiss.

Himawari blushed and smiled nervously. "Well, I know that." She let out a few awkward, nervous laughs and cleared her throat. "Don't act like you haven't done vulgar things like that with Izumi."

Boruto dropped the dagger and scowled at Himawari, who laughed at his evident blush. "H-hey! We're not even a couple so don't say things like that!" He hissed, picking up the dagger again.

Himawari harrumphed and crossed her arms, a smirk playing on her lips. "Whatever you say. I guess I'll just ask Izumi then."

"No! I'm not lying! We really aren't a thing! She doesn't even like me!" He exclaimed, agitation lingering in his face.

"Yeah but, you like her?"

"Okay! It's late and I need to catch some sleep, so how about we chit chat later! See you around!" He chimed, scooping up the weapons and carefully placing them on their racks before walking out.

"It's un-princely to walk around the castle without a shirt!" She yelled after him, to which he covered his ears and began running. Himawari chuckled and looked back up into the moon.

Maybe, I don't need them to tell me what to do. Maybe I can...go on my own mission, solve my own mystery.

.

 **AYO! It's Shuricant! Back with my sorry butt! I apologize for not updating Path To Light, but sometimes I lose inspiration and it takes me some time to get back into the mood.**

 **Anywaysssss! If you don't already know, I posted a new BoruSara oneshot! If you wanna send me prompts, my tumblr is "Shuricant".**

 **Also, I wanna make it a point that Sumire Kakei is not going to be a villain in this story. NOPE! I always want to make her one but then I feel really bad for her and I stop myself (kinda like what happened in the Path To Light) I will introduce her in the next chapter so HANG TIGHT! This story may seem really soft right now, but I can be cruel when I want to, HAHAHAHAHAHAH!**

 **Thank you to** **shinobi_babe** for beta reading my storyyyy! ITS LITERAL CRAP WITHOUT YOU!

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please vote and comment your favorite part of the story! Until next time!**


	5. Violet Eyes and Destiny

Hinata awaited the arrival of her son, as she remained seated on a cool bench in her personal garden. She remembered Boruto's reaction upon seeing it the first time. It elicited so much joy in his heart that he demanded to plant his own garden on the roof of his tower. Despite being young and inexperienced in decision making, he planned out a beautifully simplistic design that completely weighed out his snarky attitude. Hinata almost laughed when he said, 'I want plain grass with white and blue flowers. The tiny ones. I don't like the big ones.' They worked the whole week setting it up together, and he enjoyed every second of it. His mother would often indulge in these sorts of activities with him, often so his mind could escape the fact that he would never be able to spend too much time with his father. So he could be taken away by more interesting details, such as Sarada. When she was around, she was everything that mattered to him. He wanted to do so much for her; protect her, please her, make her laugh, smile, any positive reaction would do the job. He spent his entire two weeks on her, all on ver her, escaping from his mother, trying to get away from his little sister and especially far from his father who could have dinner occasionally. Then he would drag her into his ridiculous pranks, believing that if he thought they were hilarious maybe she thought the same, therefore it would be a good way to make her happy.

Hinata knew that Boruto was starting to see something else in her. He was growing up and she was sure that adultery also came with a mass of odd thoughts, whatever they might be about.

The Queen cleared her head of all thoughts when she saw her son approaching her from afar. For a second she wondered if he was wearing an annoyed expression, something she wouldn't expect or tolerate from him based on how she raised him, but she thought otherwise when she was able to sort out his features and realize it was just his usual carefree look.

"Good morning, mother." He greeted, taking a seat beside her and smiling brightly at her, showing all his teeth. Hinata smiled back.

"Good morning, Boruto. How've things been?" She asked, patting his cheeks.

Boruto knew what that question meant. _'Tell me whats been going on? Tell me about the ball, the dance, your life. Talk to me about everything.' That's what it meant._

"Things are good I guess. The ball was a blast this time. I've never had so much fun on one before."

Hinata was curious now. Boruto hated these functions, what might've brought him to think like this. "Why is that?"

Thoughts of kissing Sarada and touching her and talking to her came up in his mind, dragging along a blush to his face too. He remembered every sliver of a detail during that episode, every thought that ran through his mind. How she tasted, how she felt, how she looked. It was all too much for one night and it wasn't even for him. She was trying to escape another man who wanted her.

"Well, Izumi and I had quite an adventurous night. We escaped from this creep who was hitting on her and it was pretty fun. Oh and yesterday we sparred and went for breakfa-," he stopped himself midway and gulped. No one was supposed to know about them going to the city. "-breakfast with Inojin and Himawari." He laughed nervously and wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead.

Hinata nodded. "That's good to hear. So Boruto, you're of a good age. Twenty already. I believe with age come many...responsibilities. Such as taking after the kingdom some day. You have many decisions to make and-,"

Boruto cut her off with a glare. "Mother. If you're going to tell me to go through all those interviews with those women and marry the one I like best, I'm going to have to say no. I know I need to get married but I'm not doing it this way!" He exclaimed.

The Queen sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Boruto, what do you want then? Tell me."

Boruto shrugged her hand off. "I want a marriage with someone that I love. Someone who loves me. Someone who I know in and out and isn't some stranger who exchanges five words with me and marries me. You wouldn't understand though. You and Father, had an arranged marriage. You two probably don't even love each other. Why do you even put up with that loser?" Boruto's rage slowly started consuming his conversation, transforming his point into a fit of insults.

Hinata stood up and Boruto promptly shut his mouth as his eyes met with her pale ones. He felt a shiver run through him, kind of like she just took a glance of his heart. Deep inside, all of his emotions, all of his thoughts and she could see them all. He saw the sides of her eyes pulse, and for moment he thought he saw a vein twitch. Did he really make her that angry? It wasn't that bad.

"M-mother? Are you alright?" Boruto whispered, seemingly shrinking in his seat.

Hinata swiped the dark hair crowning her forehead to the side and sighed, reminding herself to keep her cool. "Boruto. I love your father, very much. I always have. You need to understand that you can grow to love people as well. Now, if you insist of finding someone you love, have you found anyone?"

Boruto bit his tongue and scowled. "Uh yeah, of course I have."

"Well who is it then?" His mother pressed on. "Is it Izumi?"

Boruto froze upon hearing those words escape his mothers mouth. He searched his mothers face for any mercy but it seemed he angered her so that she was no longer willing to back down from her statement. Boruto's mouth opened and closed, as he searched for an appropriate response.

"I uh, why would you think that?"

Hinata sighed again, the veins slowly fading and her anger began to subside. "You spend all your time with her. It wouldn't be a wrong judgement to assume that you two are a couple."

"Well we're not a couple. Also, she doesn't even like me so, even if I did like her it wouldn't work, you know?"

"So who is it?" She asked again.

"It's...no one. I just said it on impulse." He lied, his volume dropping with every word.

Hinata nodded and smiled. "I'm sorry I got so riled up Boruto, but you need to make up your mind now. We won't allow you to go another year without a wife. You know very well that you were supposed to be married at 19. It's important for-,"

"-the well-being of Konoha that the Kingdom has an heir, with a queen by his side to rule, when the King has passed. I know the rules mother. Don't worry." Boruto completed, a frown still painting his lips.

"Good. I'll be going now, Boruto. Talk to me when you're ready." She said, waving and walking back to the castle. Boruto remained seated on the bench, surrounded by bright hibiscuses, and ruby roses. He inhaled a deep breath, savoring the fresh summer air and the pleasant aroma of verdant gardens. He needed to talk. With Sarada.

.

Sakura nervously lowered herself on to the large, velvet padded chairs of the King's office. The table was a large, circle that stretched across the room, and was crowned with gold encrusted chairs. Enough for all the Top Brass Members. Boruto was already there, seated between Shikadai and Inojin.

One chair, the King's, remained empty and the room was dead silent until he strutted through the open doors. He braved both hands on the table and leaned forward, the sound of a door shutting and being locked, intricately was followed by his action.

"We have detected a female Uchiha." He stated clearly. Sakura's eyes widened and she felt her heart hitch as the words began to register in her head. The brass exploded into a clutter of talk and whispers, and Sakura's eyes remained glued onto Naruto's. She felt wrong being in this meeting. She knew what was going to happen. They were going to plan her daughter's death. Have her killed. How did they find out?

Naruto placed a twisted weed in the table and earned a steady silence from the brass. "It reacts to chakra. The closer it gets to the source, the more it glows. It's very limited, so we can't use it without good evidence that she's around. Or he. Right now, we need two teams." He ended his sentence with a nod towards Shikadai, who nodded back and stood up, rearranging his papers.

"Team one is going to search for Sasuke Uchiha. The members are Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, Sai Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka, and Kakashi Hatake."

Sakura felt her heart slow. Sasuke. She had to go on a mission to kill Sasuke. Her husband. The man she fell in love with, who protected her and had a child with her.

Shikadai proceeded with the planning. "Everyone else needs to assume protection protocols. We need to keep Konoha safe. That will be team two. Your reports are at your offices, make sure to read them thoroughly."

Shikamaru nodded at Shikadai, content with his son's speech. "Team one, you need to move out tomorrow morning. Prepare and head out. No delays are accepted. I'm not sure how long this will take but you need to return in two month's time."

Sakura remained silent for he rest of the meeting as details were discussed and protocols were made. She was thrilled. She could meet her husband, finally, if they could actually find him. But just the very thought of laying an ill intentioned hand on him made her want to throw up. She felt a hand descend on her shoulder and she flinched in surprise, only to find Ino's warm face smiling at her.

"Are you alright, Sakura? You look pale. I hope you're not afraid of Sasuke?" Ino teased, smirking and poking Sakura in the arm.

"W-what?! Of course not! I'm just worried about the village is all." She lied.

Ino's smile spread into an even larger one. "Well we'll have everyone protecting them, so you shouldn't be too stressed about that. We need to be focused on the task at hands."

Sakura nodded, despite the fact that her head was still racing with thrill and revolving around Sasuke. They underestimate him too much.

Boruto's eyes swept across everyone at the table in bore, his father had a nice chat with him before hand about the meeting, and it was driving him crazy.

"You aren't going on the mission and you aren't going to complain. I need you here, to protect the castle, and the kingdom." Is what Naruto had said.

Boruto glared at his father as he discussed more situational outcomes with Shikamaru, hoping that Naruto's Head might burst into flames if he tried hard enough. _Join the top brass they said, you'll get missions they said._ He still had his mind on Izumi though. His mother assumed that he was in love with her, and he lied in order to preserve his secret. What was he going to do now? He was in mad love with her and she was way out of his reach.

Boruto felt like he couldn't hear anything, or feel anything or even see anything. He was lost in his own realm and could only barely hear his father dismiss everyone. He walked out of the office only to be grabbed by the arm and pulled towards an office.

"If you think you can run away again and leave all the work to me, well you've got a whole other thing coming." Shikadai said, crossing his arms. "Now get to work, Boruto. I won't be able to help you finish up anymore. I have a mission of my own to complete."

Boruto was immediately snapped out of his trance. "What?! I'll be stuck in here forever!"

"Sorry Boruto. Maybe you can get Izumi to help you." Shikadai responded, grabbing his pale green coat. "See you sometime then."

Boruto didn't bother replying and just cringed as the sound a shutting door rang through his ears, reminding him once again that he'll be alone for this job. Boruto sighed and plopped down in his seat, slipping a paper out of its stack and running his eyes over the transcript. He pulled a quill out and let it rest on the paper, the ink sinking into the document and his mind sinking into reality.

He had an urge to see Sarada. Badly. He wanted to see her and talk to her and listen to her, and it was keeping his mind everywhere but work. "Izumi." He said to himself, just so he could hear her name. It sounded nice, not just the name but how it made him feel closer to her. He repeated her name and sighed again.

"Having withdrawals from your partner?" Said a sly voice. Inojin's head popped up through the door and brought a glare to Boruto's eyes.

"N-no, I was just-,"

"Save it. I just came here to see you off." Inojin interrupted, walking up to the desk at the far end of the room. Light streamed in from the large windows behind Boruto, leaving the front of his face in shadows.

"You look terrible." Inojin commented. He was right though. Boruto looked terrible compared to his usual disposition which was, sunny, charming, smug, all the things he wasn't right now.

"Thanks." Boruto deadpanned, signing off a document and setting it aside. "So, you off to a mission as well?"

"Yeah. Yamanaka battalion general and instructor, until my parents return." Inojin leaned onto the desk and eyed Boruto. He knew what happened. It was the usual, his father would assign him rather small and insignificant missions or not give him any at all. There was nothing much to say about, not that Boruto needed any consolation on the topic.

"Listen." Boruto began, setting his pen down and looking Inojin in the eye. The sincerity caught him off guard. "Try to come back as soon as possible. You know Himawari gets sad when you aren't here." Inojin strained to hear Boruto's muttering but he wasn't going to be an annoying friend and ask him to repeat that just for teasing him.

"I'll try. It really depends on the search team. The faster my parents return, the faster I can return." Inojin said, patting Boruto on the shoulder and heading out. "Farewell, your majesty." Inojin said teasingly before turning the corner and shutting the door, leaving Boruto alone once again.

.

Inojin had one more person to meet before leaving, so he took the route that led to princess of Konoha's room. The Yamanaka residence was on the other side of Konoha, so he had to leave early in order to get there. In fact he had to leave by noon, which left him less than two hours with his princess, so that he an extra hour to prepare.

He climbed the spiral flight of stairs the princess's tower, inpatient to see her again. He was stopped in his tracked when his eyes met a slender young woman with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. "Himawari." He breathed, taking in her slender form.

"Oh Inojin. I was just looking for you." She said before being scooped up into his arms and brought back to her room. He crashed into her soft bed, bringing her down with him as he attacked her with a fit of soft kisses and tickles. Himawari squealed and laughed, unable to get Inojin off of her as he destroyed her with his kisses.

"Inojin." She said between laughs. "You're too heavy." Inojin rolled off of her as he realized he was crushing her with his weight.

"Sorry." He apologized. Himawari smiled and sat up straight.

"It's okay."

The room was silent for a few long moments once again. They both were aware about the mission and each other's feelings about it. Inojin was afraid to mention that he was leaving in a few hours but he needed to let her know. Somehow. He looked at her again and mustered up the courage to talk.

"I'll be leaving in a few hours." Inojin said, wincing in fear of her reaction, but was surprised to find her climb into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck.

"I know. That's why I was looking for you. Do you want to go riding?" She asked, not an inch of sadness present on her face, which took Inojin aback because he was sure she was sulking about it yesterday.

"On me?" He jokes smugly, earning a slight push to his chest.

"No! Horseback riding! And then maybe some lunch?" Himawari asked softly, giving him her best smile. She knew he would normally decline an offer like this due to his lazy ass, so she made sure to activate puppy eyes. Inojin rolled his eyes and nodded a yes to her, causing her to jump in delight.

.

Sarada turned another page of her book, before sighing and shutting it close. This was the fifth time she spaced off in the middle and had to go back to reread everything she let her eyes wander over. There was too much on her mind anyway, such as Boruto, the female elf spotting, the mission she knew nothing about, the fact that her mother was going to leave her here for two months. Sarada shifted in her seat and placed the book on her side table, letting her hand drape down the side of the bed. As much as she was dying to ask her mother if she could accompany her, she knew the obvious answer and the reason behind it.

The door cracked open just then, without the required three knocks she always expected only to realize it was her one and only mother. Sakura popped her head through, before stepping through completely and leaning on the door, pushing back so that the door clicked shut.

"Mama?" Sarada said, sitting up straight. She was only wearing a thin, short dress that reached her mid thighs and was glad it was just her mother.

"Sarada. My mission starts tomorrow morning. I was just hoping that we could spend some time together." Sakura said, smiling at her daughter and taking a seat by her side. Sarada tried to return the smile but failed miserably and just rested her head in her mother's lap.

"Mama...please be safe. Please. I'll have no one here." Sarada said, her voice muffled as she turned to burry her face in Sakura's stomach. Sakura brought a hand down to stroke Sarada's silky black hair.

"I will Sarada. I'll come back safe, and you won't be alone. You'll have Boruto with you."

Sarada abruptly sat up and protested, her face tinted pink. "B-Boruto?!" Sakura laughed at her daughter and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Don't think you guys could sneak past my eyes yesterday when you went into the city. Two cloaked figures, riding horses from the royal stables, one rider with the prince's sword and the other with a dull red dress. I saw right though you two." Sakura teased, grinning at her flustered daughter who stuffed her face back in her mother's stomach. She groaned in embarrassment and caught Sakura in a fit of laughter. "You two have always thought you were so secretive."

"Mama! He just wanted to take me out for some breakfast!" Sarada whined, oblivious to the fact that her mother could see her burning red ears. "It wasn't anything else."

"Sure it wasn't a date. Not at all." Sakura pinched Saradas nose and smirked at the ravenette when she rolled her eyes. "In all seriousness, Sarada, don't worry about me at all. It's nothing but a retrieval mission so I'll be back sooner than you think. Just keep your mind off me and on someone else." She ended her sentence with a suggestive tone which made Sarada sink down, for the third time to hide her heated face. Sakura laughed again before lifting Sarada's head up and planting a kiss on her nose. Then her forehead. Then her cheeks. And before she knew it, Sarada was being harassed with her mother's soft kisses. Sarada laughed and leaned forward to kiss Sakura's cheek.

"Okay Sarada. I have to make preparations. See you at dinner." Sakura said, giving Sarada one last poke on the forehead with her fingers.

"Alright mama."

.

Inojin stopped his horse and swung one leg over to join the other so that he could jump off. He tied the horses leash to a branch on the tree, before helping Himawari off and doing the same for her horse. She rested the brown basket she brought with her on the crispy grass and took a seat beneath the large tree, on the side facing away from the castle. If she was going to spend her last moments with Inojin in a long time, she was going to do it without Boruto walking in and ruining everything.

"I was in more of a kissing mood." Inojin said, seating himself right next to her, and pulling out a bottle of wine from the basket.

"Oh shut up. I wanted a memorable moment with you. You'll get your kisses later." Himawari huffed, getting out the pastries she smuggled from the kitchen. Strawberry cake. Her favorite.

"Really?" Inojin teased, eyeing her scoop mouthfuls of the sweet frosting and down them in a go. Himawari giggles nervously, and smiled at Inojin, oblivious to the smear of frosting on her cheek and nose. He had a sudden, improper urge to lean forward and lick it off, but he restrained himself.

"I can't help it! I'm Boruto's sister after all." She said, voice muffled through the cake she had in her mouth. Inojin laughed at her funny quirks and wild inner self. She keeps this side of herself hidden in the castle, but truly she's very much similar to the prince. Inojin glanced at her again, only to find more frosting on her face.

"I hope you know that you got a little something over here." He said, motioning to her entire face. She harrumphed and continued eating the strawberry treat. "Did you bring me here for spending time together or to eat cake without anyone judging you?"

The Princess of Konoha spooned a handful of frosting on her palm and slowly reached over to Inojin's confused countenance before rubbing it off on his face. Inojin remained still as she continued smudging and smearing the pink cream on his pale skin. She retrieved her hand and seductively licked off the remnants of the frosting, a smirk playing on her lips as she awaited for his reaction.

In a few split seconds, Himawari was against grass and Inojin had his hands around her wrists while his body was on top of hers, held up by his knees. He leaned down and licked the frosting from her cheek, sending thrilling quivers across her delicate body.

Across the fields that lay protected by castle walls, Boruto stood, propped up against the open window of his office and perfectly capable of seeing what that bastard was doing to his sister. He was only able to see their heads, peaking out from behind the tree but he could recognize his sister's hair from anywhere.

"The fuck's he doing?" Boruto muttered, squinting in attempt to clear up his view, oblivious to the ravenette entering the room.

"I think he's kissing her."

Boruto whipped his head towards the source of the voice and wasn't surprised to see Sarada standing there, familiar smirk activated. She strode up to stand right next to the prince in order to see what he was seeing and let out a laugh. Boruto glared at her and took a step back so that he could take in her face.

"Listen, I know everything about my sister and she wouldn't kiss him. She's not like that. She'd wait till she's a bit older." Boruto said, crossing his arms. Sarada ran her eyes up and down Boruto's serious expression, noticing the way he lifted one eye brow when he was angry, despite not being confusing. He had started doing that when he was around eight years old, and Sarada found it cute.

"Do you know what she's done in bed with Inojin?" Sarada countered, smirking at Boruto as he spit out the water he was sipping.

"WHAT?!"

"It seems you don't know everything." She said, amused by Boruto's reaction. Sarada patted his shoulder empathetically when he turned to look at his best friend and his sister. He seethed when he began to notice her hands pinned above her head, and his lips on her neck. Sure she loved Inojin and he made her happy, but could they at least wait for her to be eighteen. Boruto rolled his eyes and turned to sit at his desk once again, pulling out his papers before it finally sunk in that Sarada was with him.

"Wait! Izumi! I didn't even notice you." He exclaimed, standing up and taking a step toward her. Sarada laughed and glided around the prince to observe his work, which was organized and neat. All the complete documents in a single, cut clean stack on his right while the incomplete ones remained on his left.

"Would you like me to help out? I have nothing to do today." Sarada drawled, slowly sitting in his seat. She was in her room the whole day and couldn't contain the energy anymore. She just happened to peak through Boruto's office only to find him looking out the window instead of doing work. Sarada now was going to release her pent up energy in the worse way.

Boruto's face burned and he began stuttering. "I-I uhh...You don't have to y-ya know? I can handle this." He moved for the pen but Sarada snatched it first. His face was an inch from hers but he wasn't going to flinch back.

"Why not?" She pressed, looking him in the eye. And that was way too much for his already addled mind so he backed up and pulled out a chair for himself, sitting down and scrambling for another pen.

Three light knocks on the door brought both of their awareness to the large doors. The dark wooden entrance swung open and Mitsuki, one of Boruto's companions and advisors, walked with a guest. A woman. Long violet hair, past her waist and eyes of a similar shade of purple. Pale skin, a soft smile and dignified posture.

"Good afternoon your majesty, Lady Izumi." Mitsuki begun, gesturing to the woman. "This is Lady Sumire Kakei from the outer Kingdoms of the Land Of Fire. She's been sent here by the Queen, as a suitor for you." The young woman with long hair bowed and muttered her greeting shyly.

Boruto's jaw dropped. A suitor? His eyes wandered to Sarada, who remained expressionless the whole time. He wondered what she was feeling behind that stone face. What she was thinking? He looked back at the girl and smiled charmingly. "Good Afternoon, Lady Kakei. How was your journey?" Boruto asked, giving his most dashing smile.

Sumire smiled back. "It was great. Thank you for asking." She began fidgeting with her fingers and Boruto gave one last long look at her form.

"Well, it was nice meeting you My Lady. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Mitsuki, Please show her to her room?" He said finally, earning a curt nod from his blue haired friend before the two were gone. Sarada looked at the blonde and was amused to find his head bang against the wood of his desk. He moaned in annoyance and lifted his head again.

"Whyyyyy!" He groaned, standing up and stretching out, reaching his hands to the ceiling and before leaning backwards. Boruto sighed and slumped back into his chair, glancing at Sarada and glaring at her smirk. "What?"

"I pity you is all." She murmured, looking at Boruto sign his paper quickly, placing onto the complete document stack. Her eyes flashed red for a split second as he signed off another document, she had perfectly replicated his signature on the paper before her.

Boruto turned at the movement of her hands and gawked at the paper. "How did you do that?!" Boruto exclaimed, snatching the paper and began analyzing it, comparing it to his own. It was flawless. "How?"

Sarada shook any shock or fear visible on her face away and quickly whipped her previous smirk back on. "I have a good eye." She boasted, cringing at how punny that actually was, but now she had a bigger problem. She had just used her magic in the castle, a floor under the man who was hunting her and her father down. "I have to go."

Boruto gently grabbed Sarada's wrist as she stood, and looked her in the eye. "Why? I was getting bored around here. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something important." Boruto said, pulling her back down into her chair and flashing her his sincerest smile, because charm never got him anywhere with her. Sarada relished in the feeling of fire spreading through her wrist from the contact.

"I-I really have to go. We can talk tonight." Sarada stuttered, her eyes locked on the Prince's. He seemed to follow every flick of her gaze. Boruto slumped into his chair and let his arm fall by his side.

"I guess it could wait a few hours." Boruto muttered, pouting at Sarada and giving her a side glare. "Didn't you say you were free all day?"

Sarada froze in her tracks. She did say that. This wasn't her castle so didn't even much work to do. Her mind raced with valid excuses for what she might've remembered that get her an escape. Boruto was smarter than to believe she actually had work, but suddenly she remembered something.

"Oh yeah I did, but I forgot that mama has to go on a mission tomorrow. I'm just going to spend some time with her. See you tonight then." Sarada finished quickly, closing the door behind her.

"See you." Boruto said to no one particular as he gazed off at the door. Sarada was always there for him, and he always there for her. Boruto recalled times in their youth when he would cry out in her lap regarding all his problems with the King and times when she would come to him, crying for her father. He was going to have to keep all these feelings pent up in his heart for a little longer, but soon it'd all be out. The blonde brought his pen back to his documents and began signing them off, determined to pass the time till dusk.

.

Sarada closed his office door and sighed, leaning against the stone wall parallel to his room. That was too close. The spell was getting weaker. Sarada's sharingan unlocked under the desire to replicate his signature. If she wasn't careful until the spell was renewed again, she was going to get caught, and that definitely wouldn't be fun.

Sarada stroked her hand and began walking to her room. Her mother was leaving the next day, and she needed to find a way to escape the castle and travel to Lady Tsunade, who lived farther away from the castle than she did. It wouldn't work. Sarada huffed in annoyance and cursed herself for being an Uchiha. She was trapped. Sakura had taught her a small trick to renew the spell for a short time, but it would require magic, which was once again a risky move.

Her visits to Tsunade grew more frequent as she aged, almost as if the spell's effects weren't as efficient as they were when she was younger. That, or something was growing onto her, and changing her from the inside. Sarada shuddered at the thought, and it made the chakra inside of her swerve in excitement, as if waiting to be released.

She took a turn and bumped into a pretty girl with violet eyes and long hair. "Lady Sumire?"

The young girl readjusted her dress and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Sarada smiled softly, and straightened out the creases in her gown. "Its alright. How are you finding everything?"

"Wonderful. It was an honor meeting the prince, and you too, Lazy Izumi." Sumire flashed Sarada a soft smile and smiled even wider when Sarada returned it.

"Hey, Chouchou told me that they have underground baths in the castle. Would you like to join us today?" Sarada asked Sumire. She didn't have much to do around the castle, so it couldn't hurt to get to know this new girl. Maybe she could even extract some information.

Sumire smiled gratefully, "That sounds like a great idea. I'm exhausted from all the travelling so this will be a great mode of relaxation."

"Perfect! Let's go after dinner."

.

Deep down in the underground chambers of the castle, Shikadai Nara and Yodo prepared for their mission. They made sure to have perfectly packed supplies, never missing out on a single tool. On his side, the chakra plant remained encased in a glass container, safe from all harm. Suddenly, the fragile petals began to pulse softly, radiating a gentle blue light.

"What's that?" Yodo asked, pointing to the flower. Shikadai turned and gasped when his eyes fell on the glowing object.

"There must be some use of chakra. Maybe the source really is in the castle." Shikadai said, slinging his bag across the room and grabbing the container. "If that's the case, I don't think we'll be exiting the walls very soon. We shouldn't take any chances by leaving this matter unattended. In fact we should probably hurry."

Yodo nodded and tossed her bag aside before dashing up the stairs with Shikadai following along. Half way up the stairwell the light began to dim and soon went out. Shikadai waited a moment longer before he was sure that the magic was gone, if not forever then for now.

"It's gone." Yodo sighed in annoyance. "So what now?"

"We'll just have to stick around the castle for now, but we'll have to stay very quiet about this. If anyone finds out about this- well let's not think about the chaos that'll ensue."

"Alright. Where do you think we should start?" She inquired, placing a hand on her hip.

"The Prince himself."

.

After a somewhat pleasant dinner with the Uzumaki's, Sarada and Sumire headed off to the springs. Finally some relax time. They decided to invite Chouchou over too, the more the merrier. Sarada didn't even get down the first floor before a warm hand enveloped her wrist and gently tugged.

She turned around to meet piercing blue eyes and a gently smile. "Excuse me, Lady Izumi, May I have a word with you?" The young man asked, throwing on a charming smile.

Sarada stared at the prince of Konoha for another few seconds before she realization snapped in her head. She promised to have a talk with him tonight and it would be rude if she declined. Besides, she could always go to the hot springs with Sumire some other time. For now she'd just have Chouchou to keep her company.

"Your Highness." Sarada bowed with a smile. She faced Sumire with an apologetic expression. "Sorry Sumire. Maybe next time. Chouchou will be down there though, so you two have fun."

Sumire nodded and waved Sarada farewell as she continued her trek down the halls. Sarada whipped her head towards the prince and frowned.

"What is it that you want to talk to me about?"

Boruto's grip on her wrist tightened slightly and he pulled her towards his tower starewell. "Let's go to my room."

"S-sure." Sarada muttered, following along. She could've sworn this was familiar. Maybe sometime when they were younger and stared at the skies. Boruto swerved her around, opened his door and let her tumble in, before quickly shutting the door and locking it.

"What's going on, Boruto?" Sarada asks sternly, holding his shoulder as to stop him from moving around. "You are acting really strange. You need to calm down and talk to me."

"I'm calm. I just don't want any unwanted ears around. Come on." He motions towards the small shaft at the roof of his tower. Sarada rolled her eyes and followed along. The top of the tower again. He'd always take her here whenever he wanted to talk to her alone. Even in the small two weeks she'd stay, he always find some secret to share.

She climbed out to the top and took a seat on the battlement, right beside Boruto. The sun was just barely peaking out from the horizon, and casted a lovely gold upon the ivory castle walls. Sarada let her eyes soak in the beautiful scenery as she patiently waited for Boruto to muster up the courage to begin discussing his problems. Even as children, he always needed a few minutes to gather all of his thoughts, and organize them correctly according to the matter at hand. The prince inhaled a long breath, and exhaled deeply.

"So...I need some of your advice." He said, voice small, only audible due to their proximity. His eyes remained glued to the setting sun as to avoid eye contact with the ravenette. "What do I do if I'm in love with someone that I'm unable to reach?"

Sarada glanced at the blonde, almost distracted by the golden glow on his tan skin and the way his eyes seemed silver in the dark. "What do you mean unable to reach?"

Boruto bit his lips and clarified. "Well let's say the relationship will never work out. Then what?"

"Have you confessed to this person?" Sarada inquired, intrigued by his choice of question. She knew what he was getting at again. Marriage. It was about the time that he should be getting married, and if he didn't find someone fast, they'd pick a bride for him. Knowing Boruto, he'd definitely object to that.

"No. I can't."

"Well, for whatever reason that you can't reach this person, maybe you should try confessing. Get it over with."

Boruto's eyebrows knitted together. "I-I can't. Is that seriously all you have to say?"

Sarada rolled her eyes. "Boruto. If this is about marriage again, you need to make a decision now. "

"Izumi I can't!" Boruto stated, his voice suddenly louder, bolder. "I can't because the girl I love can never love me back, and I'm so hooked on her. I just can't move on. I can't get my mind off of her. " Boruto took a shallow breath and spared a glance at Sarada. "I don't know if I can ever bring myself to love anyone else."

Sarada smiled softly. "I'm glad to hear that you've found someone that you feel this way about. I'm not the expert in love, so I really have no idea what to tell you. Confessing? I guess thats all I can say now, Boruto. I'm sure it'll work out for you." She placed her hand on his shoulder and felt him lean into her. Was she really glad to hear that? Simply not. If not glad, then slightly jealous.

The night sky was now leaking in, bleaching the fresh gold into a dark cobalt. Boruto and Sarada had long since left to his room to converse. Curfew. The two sat silently on the edge of his bed. Boruto tapped his fingers against the bed impatiently, unsure of what he was even waiting for in general. He just needed some conversation. Anything to distract him.

"So, who is she?" Sarada asked. She knew it would be impossible for her to be allowed to love, so the least she could do was know the name of his lover.

Boruto froze. 'You', is definitely what he wanted to say, but that would ruin many things at once. Boruto's fingers dug into the sheets. Why did he have to talk to her about this again? He was basically asking for her to find out. To be truthful, he wanted to tell her. He wanted to have her. For oh so many damn years.

"Does it matter?" Boruto mused, falling onto his back. If she would never be able to love him, then there would be no way to make her. Simple as that, it didn't matter who it was.

"I guess not." Sarada muttered. Maybe it was best not to force out the answer that she longed to hear. If he wasn't comfortable then better not pry too much.

A few seconds of silence went by and none of them said a single word.

"Screw it. I'll just get married to whoever hell my old man wants me to." Boruto said, sitting up and moving to grab his sword. "I'm gonna go train. Thank you. For listening to me, Izumi." He left the room and Sarada, still sitting on his bed.

.

.

Hey guys...hey. It's been like three frickin months and I uh well fuck that, the chapters out right? HEHEHEHEZ. Um as you know, I haven't been in the zone ya know? Like writing just isn't Iletting me do ma thing. I felt like the story wasn't turning out right but like whatever right? So y'all can check this out and please comment and like tell me your favorite part! Or whatever. Tell me where I can approve! I'm in need of another beta reader so if any of all y'all wanna check in, imma be here waitin. Thank y'all again.

beta read by the beautiful soul who puts up with me:

Shuricant~


	6. Steam and Memories

Sakura clutched onto the reigns of her chestnut stallion, as she rode through the pine woods with her search team. She swiped at her forehead, clearing away the layer of sweat that had formed on her fair skin. If only it wasn't so humid during the night. Her clothes clung to her sticky skin, irritating her even further.

The team of five had decided to divide themselves into three groups in order to cover more ground. Sakura and Sai to the West, Ino and Kiba to the East, and Kakashi to the North. Her old sensei didn't have a problem going alone, except he wouldn't have anyone to converse with which would probably leave him bored. Sakura pulled out her map and observed the landscapes, her eyes skimming over the marked areas that they had cleared. Funny. They were very close to her old home.

"Sakura." Sai began, slowing his horse down to a slow trot.

Sakura looked up to find her comrade staring at her in concern. "I've spotted a stable not too far ahead. It's getting dark so we should rest."

"Alright. You go ahead, I just need to mark a tree and map out the area." Sakura replied, stopping her horse in its tracks and jumping off.

"It's about a kilometer or two ahead, up in this direction. See you in a bit." Sai said, pointing up before setting off. Sakura nodded and slunk her bag around her shoulder. She searched around the perimeter and found a spot deeper in the woods with trees surrounding her. With her kunai, Sakura marked a cross on a few trees before plopping down on the ground and laying out her map. She brought the bag close to her and shuffled through the contents, in search of her pen.

A ruffle in the bushes was heard from behind her. Definitely too loud to be a small rabbit or a mouse. She stood up and held out her kunai. It wasn't a secret that the woods were roaming with the most dangerous of creatures during the night. Sakura knew that well enough as there was a time she lived in the woods too. Her careful eyes scanned the dark abyss that stretched out into the trees. She was ready for anything.

.

A terrible silence filled the room after the prince had stormed out earlier. Sarada was still sitting on his bed, trying to absorb everything that had just happened. Was it something she said? She just wanted to help him. There was nothing else to it. Nothing else to say in fact.

She wondered why he reacted so oddly to her response.

Sarada's hands flew up subconsciously to feel the curve of her ear. She did this often, obviously to confirm that they were not sharp like they should've been. And they were not.

She fell onto her back and sighed heavily. She felt no direction in her life anymore. She'd been nothing and she'd become nothing. All she could do was... survive. Sometimes she just felt like screwing all those rules and just doing what she wanted to do. What she longed to do.

She knew that earlier today, when she replicated Boruto's signature, it was intentional. Of course, she'd tell herself it wasn't, but it was. She wanted a release. How can you expect rules not to be broken when they can be. But when she thought about breaking the rules for real, as much as she told herself she'd do it, could she really? Was it really possible to do something that reckless?

.

Boruto tossed his jacket to the side and struck the wooden dummy a second time with his sword, splintering the object into a million pieces. He sighed and moved to the next dummy. He was currently hating himself for saying that to Sarada, and taking out his anger on the practice dummies. She probably thinks that he's angry with her, rather than himself, which is the truth that she wouldn't know of course.

He destroyed another piece of wood. Continuing on up until there was nothing less but the vestiges of his anger.

"What are you doing?" a familiar, raspy voice asked him.

"Leave." The prince ordered, avoiding eye contact with the King of Konoha. Naruto smiled softly, and continued walking toward the weapon rack.

"Can't spare a battle with your old man?"

Boruto winced in annoyance and sighed. Maybe if he beat his father he would leave him alone, and maybe even consider giving him a good mission for once. "Fine." He backed up against a wall, and grabbed a steel sword from the rack beside him. Then, the prince quickly got into his stance in the training rink and waited for his father to draw his sword.

Naruto unsheathed a large sword as he approached the rink to where his look-alike heir was. It was a steel blade, almost tinted gold, and encrusted in the base of the blade were spiraling markings. The hilt of the sword was crafted from the finest metal, and then coated with gold. It was bent into a swirl of nine tails and the pommel was the head of a vicious fox. The King was gifted this sword by the townspeople after defeating the terrorizing beast known as the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Hope my skills haven't gone rusty over the years." Naruto muttered, coming face to face with him. He definitely kept up training to maintain his physique, but despite that, he hadn't sparred with anyone in years. Hadn't found the time to.

"Yeah? Well you better not be rusty or it won't be a fair fight." Boruto said, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh you want me to go all out huh?"

"Is it that obvious?" Boruto said, before finally lunging forward and beginning the spar. Never finding the time to train with his father, Boruto had learned everything he knew from training with the castle guards and weapon masters. And then perfecting his skills through his own personal training. That lead him to a perfectly honed body and undefeatable sword skills that he had reserved specifically for this battle.

Naruto deflected his son's attack with ease, and had their swords in a lock from the start. Boruto stared deep into an almost-identical pair of eyes to his own, wishing that he didn't resemble the man he hated so much.

"How's Izumi?" The King asked, as Boruto jumped back and broke the lock. The Prince narrowed his eyes at the question. How strange of him to inquire about her out of everyone.

"She's fine. Why do you ask?" Boruto growled, putting extra volume into last word when he swung his sword out at Naruto again. Naruto, once again, blocked the attack with incredible ease. The motions were coming back to him more naturally than he thought they would.

"Nothing special. Hinata thinks you might...have an attraction toward her."

Boruto swerved to his left and began slashing at Naruto left and right, determined to do some damage. "I don't."

"Why won't you get married then?"

Boruto gritted his teeth together and put more power to his hits. Deciding to be silent for his father's questions, Naruto knew he'd drawn the line for Boruto. He kicked him from his ankle causing him to trip onto his, and placed a foot on his chest.

"Boruto. You have two weeks. That's how long I can postpone the interviews." He removed his foot and placed his sword back in its rack. Boruto was left panting on the ground, with anger painted all over his face. He couldn't place a scratch on the King, and he was defeated so easily. Plus, he only had two weeks to sort out his situation.

The young blond tossed his sword away and sat up. Maybe it was time to confess and get it over with. If it's the first step in getting over someone, then he'd take it like a man. He felt the cool breeze from the open window fan across his face and on his chest? His eyes followed and he found a large rip from the middle of his pectorals to the end of his abdomen. Great.

...After climbing up the spiral stairwell, he opened his door and entered inside. Silence. Boruto threw off his shirt and kicked his boots off and away before sitting at his window.

Tomorrow he'll ask her for a moment alone. He'll bring their favorite cake too. They'll sit outside, on the roof of the tower, and eat together. He'll joke around and make her laugh, and when the moment is right, he'll tell her that he-

A soft snore broke his wonder trail of thoughts. Eyes wide, Boruto slowly turned his head to the source of that noise and chuckled. There on his bed, Sarada Uchiha slept, curled up in his sheets. He hadn't even noticed her when he walked in. She must've been waiting up for him if she had fallen asleep so comfortably on his bed. Sarada, probably, had something to say to him.

Boruto took a seat at the edge of his bed and watched her sleep. Her breathing was even and soft. She looked so calm and beautiful, and it made Boruto's raging heart slow down. Sarada always had a tranquil aura wherever she went. Her dark lashes fluttered open and she gasped when she saw Boruto, shirtless, and staring at her.

"Am I allowed to have my bed back?" He teased, smiling down at her. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get the confession over right now, rather than later. He had her available and he already couldn't wait to get it over with. The rejection called to him.

"O-oh. I'm sorry. Where's your...shirt?" Sarada asked, cheeks pink and flushed.

Boruto realized then that he had taken his shirt off. Talk about inappropriate. Welp...too late now. He wasn't going to make anything awkward for this moment.

"Yeah. Ignore that. My shirt got...ripped." He muttered, scratching the back of his head and glancing toward the pile of torn fabric in the corner. He brought his attention back to the girl in his bed. Time to confess. The blond straightened his back and brought his arms to his lap.

Sarada's eyes glistened with curiosity. It was obvious he had something to add to his statement based on the manner he ended his sentence. She sat up and leaned forward in anticipation.

"I-" He locked eyes with her, as he spoke. "-think that-"

"Boruto." Boruto looked over his shoulder to the figure who just barged through his room without even knocking. Shikadai stood there, sweat dripping down his forehead and a distressed expression plastered all over his face. Behind him was a young woman with green eyes and red cosmetics who Sarada recognized to be Yodo. A good friend of hers. Shikadai's tense shoulders immediately dropped and he began mindlessly walking around the room.

Boruto's eyes followed around the Nara Lord's son as he walked around, seemingly letting his stomach guide him around. Little did they know that beneath his shirt, the same plant that gave off an iridescent glow when near chakra, was tucked in the waist of his pants.

A few awkward seconds passed and Shikadai walked out of the room without another word, Yodo following right after.

"I'm not even going to ask." Boruto said under his breath, directing his attention back to Sarada. "As I was saying, I..." Boruto was at a loss of words suddenly. His mouth continued moving uselessly but nothing came out. Perhaps he was still unprepared and maybe slightly afraid to confess. When he looked into her dark eyes, her sincere and soft dark eyes, he knew he didn't have the guts to break the gaze in exchange for a negative reaction. He continued moving his mouth until Sarada broke into a soft laughter. She placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"I need to go, Boruto." Her fingers felt like lightning on his already burning skin. "I'll see you tomorrow." They slipped down and grazed his collarbone, setting his heart aflame. Oh how he wished he could gather her in his arms and kiss her senselessly. Boruto shook from the restraint he put on himself and just watched her sashay to the door and leave with a small wave.

Beautiful. She was beautiful. And he was desperate to be owned by her. To own her. His gaze lingered at the door for several long minutes, silently wishing that she would come back in so he could get another look at her before the day ended.

In the end, he wasn't able to confess, despite having the chance.

.

The five teams that were sent out to scout for Sasuke had broken up the chakra-detecting herb into three pieces. That way each group could keep one plant for use. Sakura, being the responsible one, settled on keeping the plant with her. Currently it was glowing madly in her backpack. She looked back at the object and raised a brow.

Another rustle was heard, but this time, when she looked around, she saw a tall man with dark hair standing before her. After all these years, it took her a few seconds to recognize the man as her husband. He had an arrow drawn and aimed straight for her heart, but when his eyes fell on her pink hair, he immediately withdrew.

"Go west." Sakura simply stated. As much as she wanted to reconnect with him, she knew she couldn't. Not now. Not for a long while.

Sasuke stared at her with dark eyes before nodding. "Stay away from the hooded men." A flash of blue and he was gone. Sakura smiled and looked down at the plant which was dimming down. Just as the glow came to a stop, Kakashi and Sai arrived.

"What was that?" Kakashi asked, hopping off his horse. She knew the silver haired man since she was a young girl. He trained both her and Naruto to be as good as they were today. Much like family to her.

"Sasuke." Sakura breathed. If she could hurtle away from the truth, she would, but currently she'd have to coat it with a different lie. "He got away too fast. It was just smear of black, red and purple to me."

Kakashi nodded. She couldn't do anything because she was alone. Change of plans. "No one leaves their partner's sight, under no circumstances. Got it?" When seeing everyone's nods, Kakashi confirmed the order.

"Were you able to track which direction he headed toward to?" Kakashi asked, eyes slightly narrowed. He seemed to know something, judging by the look he was giving her. Sakura shook her head.

"Not so clearly, but it seemed like he flashed toward the east side of the forest."

.

Yodo grasped Shikadai's shoulder to slow him down from his spree. He was running around the entirety of the castle, waving his waist around and expecting not to be caught. Shikadai turned around the minute her hand made contact with his jacket. His eyes were wide, breath slightly heavy.

"You need to calm down." Yodo began, turning the rest of his body around to face her. "You're being nothing but suspicious right now."

"I know, it's just...we have a lead and I can't let that slip through our hands. Not now. If anything, I value everyone's safety over my own. Your safety especially, so please, let me try." He said softly, smiling at her and completely unaware of what he was doing to her. Yodo's cheeks, although already dusted with pink cosmetics, were flushed. She shook off the feeling and lifted her hand from his shoulder.

"We need a plan. Suspects. More information." She said, trying to distract herself from his sharp, teal eyes.

"You're right. Let's go to my room. I can't have anyone eavesdropping." He said quickly, holding her arm and dragging her to his room. Oblivious idiot.

.

.

The dark, cool sky felt light upon Inojin's shoulders as he rode through the night. The Yamanaka compound was coming into view from the concentration of pine trees on the mountain ahead. He tightened his grip on the reins of his horse and dug his heel into its side, speeding up.

The frost kissed air blew out the band that kept his hair together, letting the pale tendrils flow into the wind. The sharp bite of the cold stung his face and he shuddered, wishing it wasn't so cold up in the mountainous ranges. Inojin's eyes roamed the indigo peaks of stone that crowned the horizon. The color was similar to Hima's soft hair. And the way the sky was tinged with blue reminded him of her lustful eyes. He smiled to himself. Soon!

A flap of dark fabric to his side snapped him out of his peaceful daze. He took a short glance to his sides and narrowed his eyes. Two hooded riders on black horses rode right up close to him. They were dressed in dark cloaks, lined with golden embroidery. Inojin wasn't able to get a look at their faces due to the darkness surrounding them, but he didn't need to, to know that they were trouble. A bad aura was enough.

He sped up, leaning closer to his horse. If he was being followed the entire time and didn't even notice...The Yamanaka compound was a secret location, not supposed to be revealed to anyone but Yamanaka blood and the king of Konoha. Inojin looked around, trying to find a way he could lead them off track and before an idea could even pop into his head, the two riders took a separate path, riding a downhill trail. He decided not to bother any further and get there as fast as possible.

Soon enough he was at the compound, and was greeted warmly by his grandmother, to which he reported the mysterious riders to. Funny. The horse's made no noise as they rode across the mountains. Not even the sound of breathing, as if they were dead.

.

.

Sarada was up early the next morning. She wondered how her mother was doing. If she was safe and unharmed till now. Hopefully. She was out of her room after quickly bathing and changing into a brand new tunic and pants. The tunic was a pinkish red with silver embroidery around the collar and hem, and the pants were a soft white. She slipped on some riding boots and a short cape before finally leaving.

She meandered through the stone hallways, her skin glowing from the golden sunrise. Sunrises were always beautiful in Konoha. Like melted gold was pouring onto everything under the sun. What else would complete the scene? Of course a golden prince would. Boruto leaned against the wall eyeing her up as she walked.

"You look busy." He said, flashing her a lazy smile.

"And you look better with a shirt on." She retorted her lie, smugness coating her tongue. He chuckled lightly and walked towards her, hands in his pockets.

"At least I'm not desperate enough to fall asleep in other people's bedrooms."

She dug her elbow into his stomach and he doubled over, tears lining his eyes. Demon. "I'm not desperate." She said, smiling devilishly. He smiled back at her through the tears that streamed down his golden face.

"Good morning."

They looked up and met delicate violet eyes. Sumire. Someone Boruto was trying to avoid, not because he particularly hated her but he had no interest in taking her hand in marriage. He hardly knew her and trying to do that was not on his bucket list.

"Good morning." They both replied in a unison. Boruto straightened his back and kept his hands folded behind his back. Sarada had already resumed her perfect posture by time he glanced at her. Their relationship as best friends wasn't something they had plans on revealing. That childish playfulness was a secret between them. No one needed to be a part of it.

"How are you, Lady Sumire?" Boruto asked. A casual question.

"I'm well, thank you." She smiled brightly. She indeed looked stunning today, dressed in a shimmering lavender gown that complimented her eyes and rosy cheeks. And she looked especially stunning with the golden light pouring on her rich skin. Beautiful no doubt. It made Sarada falter in fact. She wondered if she could ever be that beautiful. Her features felt average but she was proud of them. They didn't weigh down her confidence by the slightest. Only...her ears did.

"That's wonderful. I'm glad to hear you're settling well. I've meetings to attend, so until next time." He said warmly, intentionally brushing his hand with Sarada's to get her attention and when she met his blue eyes, he winked at her, mouth spreading into a grin. Then walked away with a curt nod to Sumire. Bastard. Selfish bastard.

"Would you like to head to the baths? I heard from Chouchou that they're quite enjoyable at dawn, with the sun cast upon us." Sumire offered. Sarada wasn't going to decline again. Leaving the impression that she found Sumire annoying was the last thing she needed.

"Of course." Sarada replied warmly, walking beside her to the underground bath chambers. Although she had already taken a bath in the morning, it couldn't hurt to take another one, just for the sake of Sumire. She wouldn't be here long anyway. Knowing Boruto, he'd decline as soon as the interview ended.

They were blasted with steam as they stepped into the large body of water. The baths were formed from natural hot springs that they built around a large stone dome. The dome had a small fissures that allowed sunlight to fall in but not any male eyes could get a glance.

Sarada let her shoulders relax as she leaned into the water. It's been a while since she'd been in the springs. If she could recall, the last time she had dipped in here was when she was fifteen. She had had an argument with her mother and while on a rebellious escape plan, had stumbled upon these baths. She decided to take a dip to cool down but was unaware of the plump girl behind the steam. That's when she met Chouchou.

"Ah it's been forever." Sarada said, relief in her voice. Sumire smiled at that.

"It does feel relaxing. Released all the tension in my body from the trip." She replied. Her heavy hair was tied into a tight bun, but still tendrils of her hair framed her face. She looked beautiful even now, with the sun streaming through in small patches on her skin.

"When is your interview starting?" Sarada asked. She didn't need to dwell on everyone's beauty compared to hers. It only made her feel uncomfortable.

"It got postponed by two weeks. Apparently something came up with the King. I'm partially glad for it though. I need some time to prepare." Sumire said shyly, slowly shifting toward Sarada.

"I'm sure you'll do great. He's kind and sweet and completely clueless and stupid sometimes, but you'll find it very easy to converse with him." Sarada advised. She knew that better than anyone. The first time meeting him, she was way too shy to meet his eyes but he had his way of making her feel comfortable and at home.

"Thank you." Sumire said now closer to Sarada than before. Sarada was able to get a closer look at her features now that she was so close. Her lashes were long and thick and crowned her rosy cheeks. Her lips were plump and pink, like roses. How was it that Boruto couldn't fall for her. Sumire was everything she wasn't. Perfect even.

She still couldn't wrap her head around how gorgeous Sumire was, despite being slightly annoying. In fact, the mere distance that she was at right now, Sarada could feel the swell of her breasts brush her own. Heat crawled up her neck.

"Do you...like Boruto?" She asked, almost a whisper. Her breath was hot against Sarada's neck. Her slender eyes locked with her dark ones in a strong stare.

"N-no." Sarada managed out. Why was she feeling hotter than she should in a hot tub? Her skin was burning all the way up to her ears and she felt like she couldn't move. Not with Sumire so near her.

.

.

Boruto smiled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. He wondered if she was still with Sumire right now, probably suffering from boredom if she was. He snagged a blueberry tart from the table, and escaped the kitchen before the cook could turn around from his pot. After gobbling down the delicacy, he sighed heavily knowing that he would have to head to the office and complete his work.

He stopped by the garden on his way when he spotted a violet head in the distance. Himawari. She's been slightly down ever since Inojin left.

"Himawari. Hi." He said, standing before his sister. Himawari looked up at him and smiled. A fake smile. He could tell with ease since it lacked its usual glow. "Are you okay?" Boruto took a seat beside her.

"I'm great." She said, taking a pause to collect her thoughts before continuing. "Remind me why I'm not allowed to go on missions again?" She stared into a reflection of her eyes and waited for him to answer.

"Because mother is overprotective?" he half-suggested, unsure of the answer himself. "I mean I went on a few minor missions when I was your age. Maybe she's just sexist."

Himawari shook her head. "Maybe they don't trust me, or I'm not good enough."

Boruto stared at her. He wasn't quite sure himself why mother wouldn't allow her to go on missions or even leave the castle premises. It couldn't be because she's a girl. He had a feeling that she was hiding something from them, because in the end, nothing adds up.

"I would offer to ask her, but you know that wouldn't end well." Boruto said finally, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

"Thank you."

.

.

Sakura and Sai had returned to the stables they'd found earlier. The hut was familiar to Sakura. She'd been in here before, when straying far from home seemed like a horrifying experience.

 _Sakura knew that she'd lost her way the minute the hut came into view. Her aunt made her map out a circle of places she can go that are safe, and the hut wasn't one of them. It was too dark to turn back now. She might as well clear the hut and try to sleep._

 _She rested her basket of fruits and berries on the shelf beside the hard, wooden bed and tried to lay down in a comfortable position. Impossible. This creaky, wooden bed would never let her sleep._

 _She sat up and sighed. She was exhausted, yet she didn't want to sleep. She wanted to go further into the woods, but the stories she'd heard about what roams in the dark were too terrible. A hiss was heard from outside. No doubt the sound of a human. She grabbed her hunting knife and fastened her cloak, rushing outside to see what would make the rest of her night_.

How could she forget. The day she met Sasuke. That's why she remembered the hut. They both slept there that night, on the same bed, even though the hut had two rooms. She watched him all night, healed his broken arm and fell in love with him.

"I'll take this room." She said to Sai, sitting down on the same hard bed. It almost felt like home knowing that she once slept here with her husband. A tear rolled down her rosy cheeks. When would this hell ever be over?

.

Ay friends *chuckles nervously* I finally finished me chapter. The next one will be really, really good, I promise. Please read and comment what you thinkkkk! I love comments I mean who doesn't? Until next time!

also! Beta read by Shinobi_babe! And my dear dear dear and very lovely friend and fellow fanfic writer, ririmreader! Thank you both so much, Kudoaassamfndjdkdndjnddjdn

~Shuricant


	7. Black Cloaks and Swift Feet

Inojin had long since changed out of his clothes and was now sitting in his room, in a pair of briefs. He stared out the window, eyeing the path that he encountered the riders on. A shudder passed through him. There was something very wrong about their presence. Otherworldly in a word. As if they had no place in this realm, yet they continued to exist. His mind tried to come up with reasons as to why they made no sound in order to disprove his thoughts. He got nothing. He'd ridden a horse enough times to know what they sound like. That they make lots of noise.

He laid back down on his bed and closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep. Yet he knew that he wouldn't be sleeping for a long time after what he just experienced. He was itching to go outside and follow that trail. Find out what they were and what they were doing. Of course that would be impossible since the compound closed at midnight.

He sat up and grabbed his sketchbook from the table. Maybe drawing them would release the urge to hunt them down. Inojin placed the nib of his charcoal pencil on the paper. He thought twice about drawing those two. The aura they exuded was something he wanted to stay far away from. He stared at the paper for a few minutes longer before giving up the idea. He'd try to sleep instead. Hours passed before darkness finally consumed his mind and he dreamed of terrible, terrible things.

.

Sarada placed her hand on Sumire's shoulder and pushed her back, creating some good enough distance. Whatever just happened between them needed to never happen again.

"I just remembered that I need to be somewhere right now. I'll see you later Sumire." Sarada said quickly, stepping out of the spring and padding to the changing rooms. She raced back up the stairs and got as far away from her as possible.

Clutching her chest, and breathing heavily as she sat under a random office desk, Sarada thought about what just happened. She always saw Sumire as a beautiful girl who could get any boy she wanted, but I guess it works for girls too. Sarada covered her cheeks just remembering how close she got. Uncomfortable.

The sound of a door opening prompted her to hold her knees tighter to her chest as elegant, smooth steps floated to the seat behind the desk. A broad, tan hand pulled the chair out and a minute later, two long, powerful legs swung under the desk and banged into her side. She muffled her curse as the man looked under the table.

Sapphire eyes that swam like a clear ocean stared right back into hers and it took her longer than it should've to realize who it was. He smiled at her and offered a hand to help her out. She took it without hesitation and lifted her self out.

"How'd it go with Sumire?" Boruto asked, sitting back down and staring back up at her, a smile plastered to his perfect face. His tan, strong, perfectly angular face. The same face that she was longing to touch right now.

"Well, she tried to be...intimate with me. I ran. And hid. Under there." She said pointing to the table. "Don't get me wrong she's really beautiful, but-,"

Boruto's laugh interrupted her and she glared at him as he spoke. "That's pretty attractive, you swinging both ways. Hot even." He smirked at her and laughed even more when she faced the other way to cover her blush that he could still see from her exposed neck. His eyes roamed over the fitted dress that fell down to her feet, over every curve and dip of her body. He definitely preferred her in dresses than a tunic and pants. "I'm kidding." He said, locking eyes with her when she turned around again.

"There's nothing wrong with that, right?" She asked softly, still having her body the other way and just her head on her shoulder.

"Yeah." He answered, voice deeper than usual. "It's fine."

"I don't like her. In that way. Just saying." She said, wanting to assure him that nothing was going on.

Boruto lifted his hands and chuckled. "Woah there, you can like who you want, I won't judge." His hands dropped to lap and he remained smiling as Sarada finally turned and leaned on the giant window behind them.

The morning sun steamed through her delicate silk chiffon dress in the most revealing manner, basically flashing her to Boruto. He was able to see every inch of her smooth stomach and long, creamy legs along with her underwear. He stopped smiling and looked at her in the eyes.

"I don't recommend you standing there, but it's a pretty nice view." He stated bluntly, a smile playing on his lips as turned to his papers and Sarada suddenly began realizing how that looked. She quickly stood to the side, and ignored the heat that was locked in her cheeks. Curse Himawari for gifting her with such a beautiful yet dangerous dress.

"Prick." She muttered, straightening out her peach colored dress. She consciously wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. Boruto continued reading through the documents, the smile still on his lips. How it bugged her when he smiled like that.

"Love you too." He replied, lifting up a paper before his brows knitted together and his smile dropped to a frown. The paper was marked with a bright red stripe at the header. Normally a signal of importance. His eyes read over the contents of the page and he was at the door in flash, scrambling to the Throne Room. Sarada watched as he disappeared without a goodbye and decided to trail behind.

Just as she reached the hallway, the giant double doors to the throne room were closed after Boruto rushed in. Naruto was startled as his son made his way up the dais and stood beside him, handing the paper over. The red stripe was enough for Naruto to understand Boruto's urgency.

"We have invaders in Yamanaka territory. We tried to track down them but we found nothing." Boruto said, slightly out of breath. He hoped that these sudden appearances weren't correlated with the search parties sent out. He rubbed at his face as he waited for his father to reply. Time was precious.

"I want you gone in the next thirty minutes. Choose whoever is suitable for the task, create a group, and head straight for the Yamanaka compound. Hurry." Naruto said sternly, as Boruto nodded curtly and rushed off. He never specified exactly what he wanted Boruto to do, but there was a myriad of possibilities that would get him in trouble.

Sarada was still lingering in the hallways as Boruto ran through, right past her. He glanced back and gave her an apologetic smile as he disappeared along the walls. _I promise to let you know what's going on. Just not now._ Sarada nodded and turned on her heal, heading back towards her room.

Boruto barged into Shikadai's room, startling the Lord from his work. Beside him, Yodo was also studying some documents. He didn't waste time explaining and simply showed them the red stripe on the letter and they were on their feet in no time, already packing their supplies.

"Who else do you need?" Shikadai asked, stuffing his bag with blades, wrapped in leather sheathes and an assortment of colored bottles each filled with a different substance.

"Mitsuki and ChouChou. Meet me at the stables in ten." He said before racing out of the room. After finding the other members of his group he ran to pack his own supplies. On his way to his room, he wasn't sure if he should be concerned or excited. Alas his father had entrusted him with a worthy mission. Except it wasn't to be taken lightly for a split second. He'd been trained for this all his life. He knew how much one mistake could cost him in the face of danger.

.

Sakura rubbed her eyes as she waited for Sai to mount his horse. He'd woken her extra early so they could 'use up daylight in a conservative manner' and then taken his time to get ready. When he was finally settled they began their trot through the woods. Sakura mapped and marked as they cleared bit by bit of the forest and when the sun was barely at its peak, they had begun to reach the marks of Kakashi's mapping. Sakura exhaled a sigh and stopped her horse in its tracks. She couldn't believe she was riding around the forest, knowing very well that they wouldn't find a thing here.

Soon enough they ran into Kakashi, who kept a slow pace in order to clear thoroughly. They approached him and became a team of three from that point.

Kakashi smiled to himself as they fell into a triangular formation. "Isn't this familiar?" He said softly, smiling at his former students. Sakura smiled back, reminiscing in the old memories. Back when they were younger, and Kakashi was still their sensei. He used to train them and Naruto, all together. Team Kakashi. An unbreakable bond was formed in between them. Naruto exceeded of course. Became so powerful that he was able to destroy the nine tailed fox and save the entire continent from its wrath.

Sakura, at the time, lived with her parents in a small village. She wasn't much more than a regular civilian, but Kakashi recruited her after he noticed her potential. Plus her determination. He wouldn't want such a skilled warrior to go waste. After she fought in the war, her parents were given a castle and land by Naruto, in honor of their daughter. He made them Lords and Ladies.

"Yes. I can't believe it's been so long." Sai said. He never knew his parents. As a child, he was collected by an organization, and trained on the snowy terrains of the northern mountains. The conditions were so harsh that only five percent of the recruits actually survived. Sai was on the cusp of death after he was abandoned on a cliff by his master, who deigned anyone weak already dead. Kakashi found him during one of his mission and brought him home.

Sai has been forever grateful and willingly became apart of his team. At that time they were merely fifteen or sixteen years of age.

"Stop." Kakashi hissed, halting everyone behind him. Everyone leaned forward and took in the sight. On the ground, a dark liquid was pooling on the dirt and leaking into the ground. Above the spot, a tree stood, wilting and dying. It's branches were dark and ashy compared to the fresh oak trunk which was slowly growing into the same black as the top. The inky black slowly spread towards the horses, rearing them back.

"What is that?" Sakura mused, backing up her horse. Everything around that puddle, everything it touched, everything it infected, was wrong. A chill went down her spine as she saw all the plant life begin to die down where it touched. Even through Kakashi's unreadable face and mask, she could see how disgusted and uncomfortable he was feeling.

"Mark your map." Kakashi said, dismounting and walking around the puddle. "We need to travel by foot from this point." Sakura and Sai dismounted a second later, and Sakura quickly marked her map again before they began their trek by foot.

.

Inojin waited, seated on his dun stallion as he spotted Boruto and a few others riding in the distance. They had approximately ten minutes more of riding before reaching the compound. Already a ring of guards had been summoned to secure the enormous compound, day and night. They couldn't afford having any scrolls or information leaked, even by the slightest.

He stood behind the ring of guards and was tapped on his shoulder by a shaky hand. He turned and grinned at the old lady, touching his shoulder. His grandmother, chief commander of the Yamanaka clan. Years back, before he was even born and when a war broke the earth, his grandfather fought. He was a fierce warrior but was sadly met with a fatal blow. Knowing that war had its own hand, he prepared his wife with every secret and every drop of knowledge relative to their clan so that she might command if anything happens to him. A smart move.

"Grandmother. Good Morning." He said, turning to face her with a sweet grin.

"Good morning." She said, ducking her head to look around him. "Don't expect me to be unaware of what you're doing, boy. If you aren't careful, I'm going to make sure your mother gives it to you." She said, one eye closed as she narrowed her gaze.

Inojin rolled his eyes with a smile still on his lips. "I know, I know. We are just checking it out. Nothing more." The sound of hooves galloping stopped near and he looked up to be met with bright blue eyes.

"You done getting a lecture?" Boruto asked, smirking at his friend and watching him mount his dun colored horse.

"Yes. Just as grandmother said, I'll make sure to not let you out of my sight. Right?" He looked at his grandmother, who rolled her eyes and waved before wobbling away. Inojin chuckled and grinned at Boruto. His eyes traveled further back and he smiled at the sight of his old team. Shikadai and ChouChou. They used to train together when they were young. In fact, the children got so used to it, that they couldn't fight without each other. Every move complemented the other. A perfect unity.

"So, where exactly did they turn?" Boruto asked, fingers curling around the reigns of his horse. Inojin pointed towards a swift decline along the pathway. It lead right below the mountain that carried the stone compound on its shoulders. Boruto nodded and observed the dangerous, narrow path to their hideout. Interesting.

"I don't think we could ride horses down there. It's seems narrow." ChouChou said. It honestly didn't seem to be possible how the riders got down there. Either the horse would slip or be too afraid to walk there. Of course, the rider's soundless horses could possibly do more than sneaking up.

"Foot it is." Boruto said, dismounting and slinging his bag over his shoulder. "We should probably pack up some more supplies though. I forgot to bring a lot of things."

.

Swift feet. She'd need swift and steady feet to surpass the guards at the gate of the castle. Packing was the least of her worries too. With two bags, filled with supplies, and clothes, dark and durable for departure, the young princess slid out of her tower and snuck through the hallways. She contemplated going at night, but security was always heavier in the darkness, so she'd have to go by day if she wanted any chances.

Himawari, through careful, calculated steps, found herself on the ground floor of the castle. The most dangerous because the throne room was on that floor. She gulped at the thought of her mother spotting her at this point. How terrible would her punishment be? Definitely bad enough for her to never think of going outside.

She slowly eased the window behind her open, and slipped out. Now for the hard part. For the past three days she's been trying to memorize the patrol patterns and she had a pretty close prediction of where they'd be every minute of the day.

The young princess was still dressed in her bright yellow gown, which opened up at the end into a large dome. Perfect for hiding anything. She had her bags wrapped around her legs and no one could tell the difference. She resumed her princess posture and approached the guards which protected the gates. She sucked in a breath before beginning her small scheme.

"Good Morning, Kan." Himawari said sweetly, flashing her brightest and cutest smile. Being friendly with the guards can have its perks.

"Good morning, princess." He said, returning her smile. A few seconds later, the guard perched on the other side of the gate crossed to join the conversation.

"I needed help with something, and I thought since you two are the guards I trust the most, you would accept?"

They both nodded, accepting fast and eager to help her out. She laughed at their alacrity and batted her long lashes. Fake. Charming.

She pointed beyond the corner of the furthest wall. "Behind, at the back wall, where there's a blue lake, I dropped my earrings in there as I passed."

"Princess, forgive us for declining, but we must resume our position here at all times. There is a guard near the back, he will be willing to help you."

Himawari was prepared for that response. She clutched her hands to her chest, tilted her head down and opened her blue eyes wide. "It'll only take a minute. Not much can happen in that time anyway. Besides, you two always do the best job at everything."

They gazed into her ocean eyes and got lost in the sea of her beauty, before slowly nodding as of hypnotized.

"Thank you so much. Just get to the lake, I'll catch up in a second and tell you guys where I dropped it." The two guards chimed a response and saluted before running off to make good time. Himawari waited until they were out of earshot before scanning the entrance again and fastening a dark cloak over her shoulders.

She dashed across the clearing and made it to the stables, where she grabbed one of her brother's many horses and mounted. A click of her swift heels and she was gone into the woods, completely undetected.

.

Shikadai used the rocky wall as a surface to support himself as he carefully treaded through the narrow pathway. He found himself constantly reminding his eyes not to look down or face the many miles of death below. The depth of the trench was so far down that it was almost blurry due to the darkness, despite the morning. He had a feeling that many creatures, undiscovered and unseen by man, still walked those terrible lands below. The thought made him shudder and he continued following right behind Yodo, who he insisted walked ahead so that he could keep an eye on her. She only smiled shyly and agreed.

Shikadai had also forbidden anyone from talking as they traveled the ledge. He heard many stories about simple sounds, rupturing off of unstable surfaces and causing landslides. Apart from that, conversation could easily distract them from the task at hand. Anyone could slip, even from a simple laugh.

Soon the earth beneath their feet began to open into a wider space, permitting them to walk with their feet apart. Inojin pondered upon the logic of horses crossing these areas, when meek humans could barely. Once everyone had passed the thin surface, they eased into a stroll, suddenly growing more comfortable. But Shikadai reminded them that the ground was still prone to falling apart, even if it stood stable.

"Can we speak now?" Boruto whispered, earning a silencing hiss from Shikadai.

"You know I can't go that long without blabbering." He urges on, this time receiving a hiss from Shikadai and Yodo. Boruto scowled and continued walking, cautious of every step. He was what Inojin called, _the type who would converse with inanimate objects if stranded for too long._

The sun was still high up by the time they finally reached a wide enough walking range. They had declined further down, and the rocky wall they walked along cast a dark shadow from the sun. It seemed as if the trail would never end, for it felt like hours they had walked. And every minute that passed, made Boruto more irritated and skittish. He wished he could at least initiate a small conversation, but Shikadai was keeping him quiet the whole time.

Shikadai's eyes roamed over the slender body that sashayed ahead of him. As much as he wanted to focus on the mission, the delicate curves and dips of Yodo's body kept him from looking away too long. Her long, flaxseed hair tickled the small of her back and prompted her to bunch it into a tight bun. Wrong move. It only revealed more of her to him. Especially her soft, creamy neck. Hunger swam in his eyes. Like nothing he'd ever experienced before. The girl he'd been friends with for the longest time, was now his love interest. How cliche.

She suddenly stopped, and Shikadai almost rammed into her while he was lost in thought. He looked ahead and waited for Inojin, the man leading the line, to explain his stop. After a few seconds of horrid silence, the young lord stalked up to his pale friend and was met with the same sight. Beyond the cliff where he stood, was endless darkness below. And across, where the continuation of a path should be, there was a tangle of trees and overgrown shrubs.

The obsidian void beckoned, almost whispering, _come, jump. Pay me some company._ He shivered at the thought of raw darkness crawling and toying with his mind.

"What do we do?" Inojin whispered, glancing at Shikadai. There was no where else those horse's could've gone, unless they could fly. They stared into the plunge, and Shikadai picked up a rock from the ground. He dropped it down, listening close for some sound. Nothing. One minute passed, still nothing.

"No sound. Either, it's really still falling right now, which could be possible, or, and I know this sounds ridiculous but, it's some kind of a portal."

The look he got from his team was unsettling.

.

 **Chapter out so soon? It's weird yes. But I thought that I should go for it since I was in the mood. Tell me what you think and please please please comment or review! (Vote too (** **͡** **͜ʖ ͡** **°)) Comments always encourage me to write more and aside from that, I love them. Reading what you guys think about my story makes me so happy. I'm also very thankful for the reviews that I have gotten. Thank you to everyONE, and your concern, I'm grateful for y'all.**


	8. Ancient Voices

The night was still. Perfectly still. It seemed as though the air was frozen and the stars were held up by strings. Not a whiffing of air, or a kiss of winter breeze. Only the steady breathing of a creature, perched beneath the cover of shrubs. Its eyes carefully scanned the perimeter, glowing in anticipation, ready to attack.

Footsteps neared the figure hidden in the leaves, moving slowly and carefully. Every step calculated as if it knew what was beneath the bushes. The glinting of a small blade caught his eye and the creature - no, a man rose up. His dark cloak whirred around from the movement and finally settled. His eyes fell upon a small girl, eyes wide with fear. The blade in her hand trembled as she stared into his glowing eyes. One gleamed red, and the other purple. Her legs shook and threatened to give out.

He was tall and looked remarkably strong. She noticed the lack of one arm on his right side, the way his cloak hung loose. He shifted, stepping forward. A shadow's swiftness.

Blue eyes grew wider as he reached his only arm out and grabbed for the weapon.

.

Sarada found herself gravitating toward the library every day. Buried in books, indulging in a conversation with the librarian or just staring out the window, sitting on the seat Boruto ordered specifically for her. Things were suddenly boring now that all her friends and her only family were out there.

Now that Boruto was out there.

She wondered what was so important that he left without a word.

It's been a while since she longed to go on a mission again. The last time she'd ever wanted that, she'd been at least sixteen. But soon she learned to stop trying. Sakura would never risk her in the outside world. For too many reasons.

One of them being _control_.

Sarada had never learned to master her skill of concealing the power. Using combat, even if it was hand to hand, would trigger her Sharingan. The Sharingan was a special dojutsu that allowed her to see everything clearer, predict moves and copy them. It was a powerful tool in the face of danger. It was also a curse. Sakura had to train her daughter in secret to prevent it from showing up in front of anyone else.

But she was never allowed to go on a mission. That was the end of it.

Sarada roamed through the aisles of the library, running her fingers along the spines of all the books until she stopped randomly and pulled out her pick. A plain book with no title, no author, nothing. Its cover was a pale beige, it's corners darker from age. She ran her hand along the leathery front, wiping away the layer of dust. It definitely hadn't been touched for years. It smelled like old papyrus and lemongrass.

Sarada, out of curiosity, asked the librarian if it was even cataloged since it didn't have a name. She shrugged in reply saying someone must've left it on the shelves a while ago. Sarada brought the book back to a table, unconvinced about the book. It wasn't a diary or a journal. She flipped the cover open, still blank and beige. The next page was titled, 'To The Children' in a swirly handwriting of black ink. Sarada's brows furrowed. What did that mean?

She flipped to the first page and was met with a beautiful illustration of an ancient forest, all sketched in black ink, and slightly colored with diluted green watercolor. Her fingers ran over the intricate designs and precision of the picture. There was a repeating symbol throughout. A dot, with three comma shapes spiraling around. It felt familiar but she wasn't able to quite grasp where she knew it. It appeared consistently on the boulders, the leaves, the dirt, the bark.

 _Interesting._

She flipped the page, and her eyes flew wide open. She slammed the book shut and scurried away to the dark corners of the enormous library. She found a seat, cornered away from all directions and completely out of sight from anyone. She sat back down and flipped open to that same page, letting her hand stroke the ancient ink. The ink sang to her, spoke to her as if telling an old story. All sounds around her drowned out as she stared deep into the red eyes of the picture before her.

.

Boruto stared down into the darkness, fighting against the whispering in his head. _Join me. Amuse me. Come to me, son of the Great._ It wasn't entirely a voice per se, but more like a thought, a wind's whisper. Like the images were forcing themselves inside his mind, and he couldn't fight them out. Not when they were dragging their talons along his skull, screeching their calls into his head.

He shuddered, turning toward Inojin and Shikadai, who looked equally disgusted by the dark below. After passing a certain point in the trail, the voice was able to reach whoever neared. ChouChou and Mitsuki were still safe from the ancient summons, but they could tell from everyone else's distraught states, that they didn't want to walk any further.

"D-Do you hear that?" Boruto whispered sharply. His voice was like a haven compared to the horrid screeches. Like warmth and sun. Sun shook by darkness. His voice wavered with shock.

"Yeah, and it doesn't feel good at all," Inojin answered, backing away. "But I don't think we have much of a choice than to jump in." he said. "I mean there's absolutely nowhere else they could've gone, and we are not turning back without finding out just who those riders are."

"I agree." Shikadai said, "We need to take our time to figure out how this works and how we're going to approach it. Mistakes cannot occur." He walked back along with them. They needed some sort of a master plan to be able to get past that obstacle without any casualties.

Yodo stepped forward, "I think I might have an idea to test."

After a little bit of searching, the team was all hunched over the trench. Yodo was holding a rope and tied to the end was a small hare. She lowered the animal into the dark depths of the trench, with Shikadai beside her, scribbling down data.

Fifteen seconds in, and they couldn't see it anymore, ten more seconds and they couldn't hear it shuffling around, and five seconds after, it stopped whimpering. She continued lowering the poor animal. Twenty seconds. Thirty seconds. A whole minute. Then five.

Shikadai ordered her to reel it back up, and the whole way she pulled, she heard nothing. The shuffling and the whimpering never returned. Finally, they were able to see it's body again. Yodo slid it back onto land and they peered down at it. It was...white. And only a few minutes ago, it had been a rich, red-brown. The animal showed no signs of life, and it's eyes- No. Its eyes were gone. Nowhere to be seen. Dark blood trickled down the empty sockets and pooled on the dusty ground. Its teeth were also removed, leaving an open mouth with mutilated gums.

They cringed at the sight of the destroyed 'body', and a shudder ran through their spines when they thought about going down there themselves. Whatever was down there, whatever things roamed its emptiness, was something they were not inclined to meet.

.

A cave that was not supposed to be here. The map of the forest had every cave, every lake drawn and marked out. Yet, they stood before a small cave that was covered and coated with vines and creepers, mostly obscured from view. In fact, Ino wouldn't have stopped by the place if it weren't for Kiba's expert sight and senses. A gift acquired from training with the tracking squad.

They dismounted their horses and stared at its gaping mouth, at the wildlife that was hiding its wonders beneath. Ino grazed a red bougainvillea that spiraled around the front of the cave. It was so densely layered, that it would be near impossible to actually recognize this as anything other than a boulder, covered in creepers.

"Should we break in?" Ino asked, pulling out a sleek dagger, jagged on one end and jeweled at the hilt. The closest thing to a wedding gift that Sai could get for her other than the countless paintings he made of her. He deemed her to be the most beautiful woman, a goddess even and needed to be painted over and over again.

"Sure." He muttered, sighing when he saw her already cutting through the vegetation. Impatient as always.

Ino tore through the mass of green and slowly stepped inside, her gentle steps echoing throughout the stone walls. Light streamed in from the small openings in the greenery, in rays of gold, illuminating the small particles floating through the air. The sight was as magical as it felt except for the awful stench that painted the walls. Kiba emerged a second later, torch in hand. The orange light bounced off the walls and illuminated the cave even further.

Ino's hand slid against the cool rock of the cave walls until she noticed something. Beneath her fingers, she could detect faded marking and ancient scribbling jumbled and tossed around. Now that she noticed it, they seemed to be all over the cave. Too foggy to make out, but there nonetheless.

"Let's walk further in. I don't wanna waste time here." Kiba said, following Ino's gaze and finding the markings quite fascinating. They began walking down the narrow path, the ground beginning to feel like it was declining ever so slightly.

The fire flickered. It'd grown so quiet now, only the soft padding of their footsteps and their soft breaths filled the empty air. It almost drove Kiba insane with the urge to speak. A muscle feathered in his cheek as Ino suddenly stopped. She gripped his arm and pulled him closer to the wall so that the warm light fell upon the dark stone. Etched into the slate, were white symbols scrambled around in harsh strokes. As if whoever wrote them was panicking, and in a hurry to leave. Ino didn't dare touch the writing. Afraid of...whatever wrote it. Some ancient, long forgotten language-

"Ino," Kiba said, eyes wide. "The plant. It's glowing." He said, pulling it out of his satchel. Ino immediately broke into a run toward the horses, with Kiba on her tow.

.

So, so many pools of decay. Every turn and corner would lead to more. The trees, withered and shriveled, wilted over the pathway, threatening to crash the droplets of that darkness. Kakashi adjusted his tungsten mask for the nth time, trying his best to keep out the stench as he carefully threaded through the forest. Sakura and Sai, just a step behind him, had scarves wrapped tight around their faces. Not enough to keep it out entirely, but it helped ease the intensity of the smell.

Soon they reached a large stone wall that extended high up above them. Where the wall and the ground converged, there was a dark opening and the obsidian puddles streamed along. Sort of like a cave. They stopped at its entrance and took a look at the gaping mouth, rimmed with sharp points like teeth. The ground had hardly any space to step on anymore unless they were willing to step into the liquid. Which, simply put, Sakura was.

She stepped slowly into the dark muck... nothing happened. Kakashi and Sai had almost stopped her but she was too quick. Her foot remained in the puddle for several minutes before she placed the other one in. Still nothing. It seemed safe. She didn't need to gesture the others to follow as she entered the opening and they followed.

The ground was like a sheet of polished obsidian, glinting from the sunlight and rippling from their footsteps. The walls, which seemed to be slick with the same polish, made it unable for them to even think of risking to touch in bare skin even if only for support. Silence floated through the air. A horrid, empty silence. Everything seemed to be quiet these days.

"Sakura," Sai whispered. "The water is getting deeper." Indeed it was. It now pooled around their ankles, dangerously close to the fabric of their pants. Kakashi bristled at the sight. He hadn't even noticed the water around him. It felt like walking on air, or an illusion.

"I wouldn't say it's water," Sakura replied, fighting the urge to hold onto the walls for stability. Even with leather gloves, she didn't plan on getting her hands anywhere near that. "Or anything of this world-"

Sakura let out a yelp, as she dropped down into the darkness. Kakashi and Sai quickly waded through the water and peered down. What they thought pulled her down was nothing but gravity. A step away from their toes, the ground suddenly dropped into a trench, about 40 feet below. From the torch Kakashi held, he was able to see that the trench was filled with the dark liquid. He scanned the bottom for a pink head but found nothing.

After shouting for her, a small bump emerged from the pool and green eyes, wide from shock, stared back at him. Sakura. It wasn't an easy task to swim back up since there was no sightful direction. She splashed around, struggling to stay afloat, but the weariness weighed her down. She groped for the stone around her and dug her nails in, using all her strength to keep from sinking.

Immediately Sai threw down a rope, looped at the bottom so that Sakura could place her foot in and be lifted. She coughed, wiping the dark muck from her face and reached out for the rope. Before her fingers could graze the rope, she was yanked down into the dark.

Kakashi jerked in surprise. "Sakura!"

Nothing.

"Sai, we need to get down there and get her out. Now." Kakashi snapped, tossing his bag into the knee-deep black. "Lower me down-,"

A scream ripped through the cave, echoing along the walls. It was raw and harsh and...not human.

.

Sarada felt tears welling up in her eyes. The man in the picture before her looked just like her. His ears pointed. Sharp. He had dark hair and pale skin, with a small smile gracing his delicate lips. His hair was long, tied at the middle, and hung loosely on his shoulder. What really struck her though, was his eyes. His warm red eyes. With the exact same design that appeared repeatedly in that illustration. They looked like hers. The shape seemed like it was crafted from her own reflection. She gaped at the drawing for several, shocking moments.

Sarada wasn't sure she was prepared to know what was written in the pages that followed. Because currently, nothing could shock her beyond a picture of an elf in a world that hated elves. She slowly shut the book again and raised her hands to the sides of her head.

What was a book like this doing in the King's castle? How could a book like this possibly exist, when most knowledge was burned by the elves themselves. Sarada hurried out of the library, as fast as she could, with the book in her arms. She wouldn't let the library see that she had it. Wouldn't let anyone see.

She got to her room without bumping into anyone and hid the book. Tonight seemed like a more appropriate time to muster up the courage to open that book again.

Three knocks brought her attention to the door. "Come in."

A young woman with chestnut hair and golden skin took a small, shy step inside. Her head was angled down, but her eyes were locked in a hard gaze. "Good afternoon, Lady Haruno. Forgive me for intruding so early but, by any chance, have you seen princess Himawari?" She asked.

Sarada thought on it for a few seconds. Come to think of it, she hasn't seen her all day. "No, I'm sorry. What's the matter?"

The maid bristled. "Her majesty is searching for the princess. We haven't been able to find her since this morning."

Sarada shot to her feet. Himawari had gone missing? Impossible. No one could've taken her with the amount of security in the castle. Sarada thought of some hiding places she could check. "I'll help look."

.

Sakura's heart thrashed in her chest as the sound bounced off the walls, emanating from right behind her. She swerved around, (with a bit of difficulty) and was only met with more darkness. She would have to rely on sound if she was going to win this battle.

Another screech.

Her position changed to face the sound. Again, and again. Soon the screech had died down to violent and harsh hisses, circling close to her. Sakura reached below, using all her strength to stay against the slate walls, but she wasn't able to grasp any weapons on her baldric without slipping. She cursed, bringing her other hand back to the wall. Whatever was in there, was getting close to her.

Sakura contemplated her options. She didn't dare make any noise. Calling for Kakashi's help might make her situation worse by attracting more of those things. She wondered what the hell they were doing up there, and why they weren't trying to get her out.

.

Metal glinted in the moonlight as it clattered to the ground. Himawari's blue eyes darted to her knife before immediately bringing their attention to the terrifying figure that towered over her. Her entire body shook violently. What kind of stupidity actually motivated her to believe this idea was sensible. She was going to die and no one would ever know where she was, or who killed her. Tears welled up in her wide blue eyes. She had no experience in combat. Her brother only ever taught her basic moves to escape kidnappers or situations where a knife is to your throat.

Except the unworldly aura she was receiving from the man prevented her mind from even going close to those meager maneuvers. She would never fall to her knees though. If she was going to die, she'd stand tall.

His hand approached her neck, fingers grazing her throat, and magic sparkling across her skin. She could feel it. She could feel what was firing out of his hand. And although she expected it to feel strange and disgusting as she was told it would, it felt just like home.

—-

ITS DONEEEEEE! hope yall enjoy and thank you ririmreader for beta readinggggg i love ya! ;)


	9. Inside The Heart

A horrible, broken cry shot through the cave, carving it's name into Kakashi's bones. The sound came from no where and every where, at once. Kakashi glanced to his right. Sai was gone. The small sliver of light that came from the mouth of the cave was now gone. Did time somehow pass by so fast that it was already dark? Impossible.

He didn't dare speak, didn't dare call out any of their names. The silence in the cave was the type of silence that needed to remain if you wanted to live. Kakashi knew this silence, from many battles ago. He was familiar with the consequences of breaking this silence, and he wasn't ready to face them again.

The water rippled, his blood turned to ice. In the black pool of darkness, something slithered through the water. His heart broke into a frenzied rate, and he was so sure that that thing could hear it as loud as he could. It pulsed in his ears and neck and arms and defined him clearly to the creature down there. He knew it. He knew how it worked. It's only sense was the ability to hear human heartbeat. And the louder it was, the easier it was to seek you out. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his raging heartbeats. No matter how slow, and how quiet your heartbeats were, it would hear you. That's why encountering the creature only ends one way. Unless you're already dead.

The scream he heard belonged to Sakura. Down in the trench, she battled off against another gruesome creature. It duh it's claws into her back and yanked her out off the wall, and across the trench where she had no where to hold herself on to. She thrashed around, trying to keep afloat but the liquid weighed her down like syrup. Which also made it difficult to move in. Her back stung in the eight points that were touched by the monsters claws, and now burned with the black muck pouring into them, weakening her. Her fingernails were cracked and her arms bled from countless places. The pressure was washing over her. She was going to die soon.

She felt the water tremble, ripples passing through her. It was coming back. Sakura relied on the only thing that could help her detect it. Sound. It circled around her, clockwise and then counterclockwise. As if playing a game, trying to make her lose. She wouldn't lose. She threw out her arms and summoned whatever ancient magic that was untouched by the muck around. It took painful effort since it's been years that she had to use it. A pale green light erupted from her palm, illuminating the trench with its powerful brightness. The face of the monster was now visible to her and she almost wished she hadn't seen it. It's face was a ashy grey, old and withered, almost crumbling away. It's mouth gaped open, starting from the middle top of its head to the bottom. It had pale white gums, and teeth that looked black, jagged nails. It's eyes were no where to be seen but it still hissed hysterically when the light flashed upon it. Perhaps it was sensitive to heat. Sakura has just enough time to wade to one side of the trench and hold on with her now perfect nails and healed skin. That light was nothing more than healing magic. She pulled a long dagger from her baldric and jumped back into the center of the pool, slashing at where she thought the creature was. But as soon as that light had gone off, the creature has gotten back behind her. She swirled around and only managed to lodge her blade into its cracked face before it dragged her down, into the belly of the trench.

.

After lowering down the snake, they all learned one thing. If they were silent, they would live. And that's how Boruto ended up clutching to a rope, a fabric tied around his face to keep his mouth shut, as he was lowered into the darkness. Mitsuki and Yodo had already made it to the bottom, the rest just had no idea if they were alive or not.

Boruto didn't dare breathe too loud. His whole body shook with the fear of being caught, since dying was not an option. He closed his eyes, trusting Shikadai and Inojin to lower him safely. The world seemed to have paused, and everything was floating and waiting for the play button. They lowered Boruto so slow, the movement was undetectable. It had taken ten minutes to get Mitsuki off the rope. Boruto was about a minute away. So close. He continued descending, counting every second on the way.

And then fingers shifted on the rope. A grey whiff circled around him, its presence so horrifying that even Shikadai could feel it. He stopped moving the rope, frozen in fear. He mentally cursed. Boruto going out of his way to ruin everything.

The whiffs of grey stopped on front of his face, constantly shifting forms. It's tendrils reaches out around him, as if searching for fear. Boruto remained still, stoic. He would not let himself jeopardize the mission. Not a chance.

The tendrils caressed his cheeks, his neck, his back. They retreated. He was clear. Boruto almost sighed but held himself together. The dancing clouds of death set off somewhere. Shikadai must've felt the pressure lift away from him. He sighed, continuing to lower the prince.

Boruto closed his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching. The rope snapped. Shikadai fell back with the sudden change of force and hurriedly crawled to the edge of the cliff. Darkness seemed to spread further out the trench.

...

Will be continued soon. Read my latest conversation post to learn more about my hiatus.


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